Staying Strong
by smile-clarenet
Summary: Sequel to Making It Through. Following some bad weather the residents of Radiator Springs have to repair and rebuild their lives while four of them remain missing. Now they have to join forces before the weather hits again...
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** Well, it's taken me a long time, but FINALLY I'm replacing Quest for the Cup with this new, hopefully improved version. The first thing I ought to say is: thanks to raerobgal for giving me the idea for this prologue.

This story continues on from Making It Through, and picks up the story a few weeks after the end of the last installment. And so, without further ado, here's the new story!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. I do however own Lilia and Samuel McQueen. Please ask me before you use them (I won't bite)!_

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Prologue**

Sally sat in Flo's V8 Café, staring along the road with apparently no notice of the cars around her. Sarge and Fillmore were arguing nearby, disturbing one or two visitors, but Sally, completely accustomed to their bickering, was able to ignore it.

Across the street, sitting outside Lizzie's Curio shop, Samuel and Lilia McQueen, Lightning's parents, were talking quietly about something. They had spent a lot of time talking in the last few days ever since they'd returned from Phoenix. Sally had noticed it particularly since Doc's call two days ago. Of all the residents in the town, Doc was the only one missing. It was lucky he hadn't been needed urgently in the two months he'd been away.

The King and his wife were looking into opening one of the old, abandoned shops, wanting to be close to their daughter again. The pair had been helping Sally in the Cozy Cone Motel, though Strip was going to continue with it, even after they'd opened their own place. Now however, Strip and Lynda were sitting on either side of Sally, holding a conversation over her hood, not that she noticed in the slightest. Only one thought was on her mind – '_Lighting's coming home!'_.

The young racer had been in a nasty accident during a race part way through the season, and that was the reason why Doc had been absent for two months. He was keeping an eye on his student and friend, praying every night that Lightning would pull through. His phone call two days ago was the best news any of them could have hoped for – Lightning was finally well enough to come home, though he would have to stay under Doc's watchful eye for a while longer.

Lightning's racing headquarters were almost finished, with just a few final touches to be added. By the time he was able to move out of Doc's home, he would be able to move in to his new home. Sally would miss not having him at the motel; she had become rather fond of him in recent months.

It was getting late in the day, but still she didn't give up her vigil. He would be home soon, she kept telling herself – it made the wait marginally easier. Most of the others were still there, they too waiting for Lightning to come home.

Somewhere nearby Flo said something, and Lynda replied, but it was all background noise to Sally. She shifted on her tyres, unable to sit still for long. A soft nudge on her side shifted her attention briefly.

"Do you want Flo to get you anything, honey?" Her mother's soft voice greeted her.

She shook her head and turned back to the road. The sun had set a long time ago, and as she waited the last few visitors headed back to their respective Cozy Cones.

She suddenly spotted two sets of headlights in the distance, heading closer to them with each passing second.

"They're here!" She shouted.

"Why don't we go and make sure Doc's surgery is tidy?" Lilia suggested, alerted by Sally's words. "Doc said he'll be taking Lightning straight there."

Sally followed Lightning's parents the short distance down the road to Doc's surgery. Lilia had taken over in Doc's absence, after revealing she had been a nurse in her younger years and again when Lightning was old enough. Sally knew the surgery would be tidy already, as Lilia always cleared up before she left in the evening. Sally suspected it was more to give her something to do in the final few minutes of waiting.

Doc was the first to appear outside his home, looking thoroughly worn out, but happy to be home. He greeted Lightning's parents and Sally softly, not at all surprised to find them waiting there.

Sally sat behind Samuel and Lilia when Mack arrived. He'd gone into the city two days ago to make arrangements with Doc and fetch Lightning.

He let go of his trailer and moved around to open the back. Doc went in for a moment, and then backed out, leading Lightning.

The younger racer still looked a little worse for wear, but so much better than the last time Sally had seen him. Unlike Doc, he didn't seem to expect the welcoming committee, for the rest of the townsfolk had gathered in the small parking lot outside Doc's garage by then. He moved from one car to the next until he reached his parents on the end of the line. He hadn't seen them much during his stay in the hospital, and was clearly overjoyed to see them both properly again. He spoke to them for a few minutes until Sally couldn't hold back any longer. She drove around the others and pulled the red car into a hug so fierce it took him by surprise.

"Don't you dare scare me like that again, ya hear?" She whispered, tears running down her hood onto the asphalt beneath their tyres.

"I missed you too, Sally."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ahhh, fluffy ending! I'm planning to have the next chapter uploaded tonight, so by the time you read this, you may well be able to move on to chapter 1!

Reviews would be appreciated.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter, much appreciated! This chapter is pretty much the same as the first chapter of the original story. The main changes will start from around chapter 9 onwards, I think, though there are a few before then. And so on with the next chapter!

_Disclaimer: See chapter 1/prologue._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 1**

"_Residents of northern Arizona and southern Utah are being urged to keep an eye on the weather conditions over the next few days – _"

Doc turned the old television off and glanced out of the nearby window at the sky above. Dark clouds had been gathering all day, and the bitter wind was picking up speed by the hour. It wasn't a good sign.

He slowly drove over to Flo's V8 Café where the other residents of Radiator Springs were gathered. Flo handed him a drink and went back to stacking her oilcans neatly. Doc sipped it and looked at the sky again. It was getting darker much more quickly than was usual for the time of year because of the cloud cover. As the streetlights began to flicker into life, he felt a few drops of rain land on his hood.

"I'm gonna head back, I could do with an early night." Lightning's voice drifted over to him.

It was a now a month since Lighting had returned to Radiator Springs, and two weeks since Doc had allowed the young racer to leave his clinic during the day after his unfortunate crash. Doc still wanted him to sleep in the clinic, but it was only a precautionary thing now – technically he was ready to move back into his Cozy Cone, but with mere days before his racing headquarters would be finished, neither one saw the point.

"Goodnight, Stickers." Sally kissed him lightly.

"Night, Sally." Lightning returned the kiss. "Goodnight everyone."

Various calls of goodnight followed him out of the café. As Lightning left, Sheriff arrived. He sat between Doc and Lilia McQueen, accepting a drink from Flo. The police car too turned his eyes to the sky uneasily.

"What's wrong, Sheriff?" Lilia had noticed how edgy he had been all day.

"Just make sure you're ready to leave at short notice, though hopefully it won't come to that."

"What's going on?" Sally asked, the nervous edge in her voice clear to the others. "Why would we have to leave?"

"Don't worry, Sally." Doc answered. "It's nothing serious at the moment."

"At the moment?"

"It's just the weather. We're being told to keep an eye on it for a few days."

Sally watched the two older cars cautiously. She'd known something wasn't right when the clouds started to appear. As she watched them a flash of forked lightning lit up the sky, followed by a deep rumble of thunder. Doc caught Sheriff's eye and cleared his throat.

"I think I'm gonna head off to bed myself. Goodnight everyone." Sally said, not sure how much more of the tense atmosphere she could take.

"Goodnight, dear." Lynda Weathers smiled at her daughter. "Sleep well."

**

* * *

**

Lightning continued to flash across the sky as the night wore on, always accompanied by deep rolls of thunder that echoes through the valley. The amber traffic light flicked on and off at the instersection in Radiator Springs. Suddenly Sheriff appeared through the heavy rain, hurrying through the town as quickly as he could.

"Doc!" He shouted over the wind as he came to a quick stop outside the clinic.

"What is it?" Doc emerged from his garage, shortly followed by Lightning peering through the main doors to the clinic.

"We've got to get out of here."

"How long?"

"Less than five minutes."

"Let's do this." Doc turned to Lightning. "Go and wake Sally. Get her to help you get the others at the Motel." He shouted over the roar of the wind as Sheriff set off down the main street.

Lightning shot off down the road as Doc made his way between the Café and Ramone's Body Art shop.

In her cone, Sally sat listening carefully to her surroundings. Something had just woken rather brutally, and she wasn't sure what it had been. The wind howled around the cones and rain hammered against her window. The thunder seemed to be growing louder by the minute. A loud wailing siren cut through the storm at the same moment something hit the door hard and repeatedly. She switched the light on and opened the door, only to have the wind immediately blowing the rain in her face.

"Lightning?" She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her eyes.

"We've got to get out of here, Sally!" He yelled. "We need to get the others and get out of here!"

Sally shot out of the cone, not even bothering to shut the door, and sped towards the nearest occupied cone, Lighting hot on her tail as she pounded on the doors of the other cones. The moment each door was opened she was on to the next cone.

"Sally, Lighting, what's going on?" Samuel appeared at their side.

"We've got to evacuate." Lightning supplied the answer.

"I'll get instructions from Doc and Sheriff." Samuel offered, quickly disappearing from view in the thick rain.

Sally tried desperately to hold back the tears as she reached the last cone and Mack pulled up in the entrance to the Motel with his trailer.

"It'll be okay, Sal." Lightning gave her a reassuring smile and turned to his driver. "Mack, get Lizzie, she'll never be able to keep up with us."

As Mack headed into the town, Samuel returned with Fillmore and Red just behind him.

"We're to head onto the interstate and go west until we find Sheriff. There's no time, we've got to go now."

The group set off through pounding hail and rain, catching up with Strip and Lynda just before they reached the interstate. Strip took the lead as they turned west and picked up speed. Lightning found it odd that nobody else was driving along the road behind them. It wasn't until he looked in his mirrors that he found out why. When he heard Sally's gasp from beside him he knew she too had seen the dark swirling mass that had just crossed over the interstate behind them, only visible when forks of lightning lit it.

"We have to keep going, Sally. There's nothing else we can do now, just hope Doc and the rest got out in time." He called across to her as the funnel headed straight towards their little town.

If they were lucky it would bypass Radiator Springs, or rope out before it got there. If not there was a chance they would have to find somewhere else to settle for a while.

Sally gave up trying to hold the tears back as they carried on further west.

* * *

They'd driven some fifty miles when they finally found Sheriff waiting for them with Mater, Steve and Matt at the side of the road. Lightning could tell instantly they too had seen the tornado sweeping towards their homes.

"Is there anyone else coming?" Sheriff asked shakily as they reached him. There wasn't much that could get to the old police officer.

"I don't know." Samuel replied with a steady voice, despite his trembling tyres. "It was a close escape for us. I don't know what happened to the guys behind us."

Lightning looked back down the road, hardly noticing the rain and hail had stopped, and the wind was losing strength. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding when Mack appeared through the gloom.

"Sarge and Doc?" Lightning asked desperately.

"I don't know, kid." Mack gasped as he stopped. "I've got Guido, Luigi and Lizzie in the trailer – they were trying to persuade her to leave."

"Wait, where are Flo and Ramone?" Lightning spotted who else was missing.

"I don't know. I didn't see them." Mack replied.

"We should get to a truck stop." It sounded like the words caused Sheriff pain. "We can head back when it's light."

As the others began to follow Sheriff, Lightning hung back, hoping to see the four missing cars approaching, while somehow knowing they weren't coming. It was with a heavy heart that he continued along the now deserted interstate.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Damn, one reason why I should update when I complete a chapter - I lost track of a couple of details in this chapter until just now! Whoops. If anyone else got confused, Lightning was staying at Doc's surgery while he continues to recover from his crash at the end of Making It Through. I sure know I got confused there, probably because I was scanning through and not reading it properly...


	3. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. I do however own the owner of the truck stop, Samuel and Lilia McQueen, Holly, and Leigh._

Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far, your feedback is very much appreciated!

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 2**

They found a truck stop as it was beginning to get light. Sheriff led them into the car park so they could rest for a few hours before heading back. Lightning was the last of the group to arrive and sank to the ground almost the moment he stopped. The long drive had hurt more than he was willing to admit.

"Don' get many folks stopping off this early." The owner of the truck stop greeted them. "You lot been on the road all night?"

"Not quite." Samuel replied. "Do you get a TV signal here?"

"Sure. TV's over there." The silver car gestured behind him with a wheel.

_"A tornado swept through northern Arizona early this morning. Helicopter crews and rescue teams have been dispatched to see how much damage has been done and to begin the clear up operation. Holly has been up with the helicopters."_

"_Thank you, Leigh. Meteorologists aren't yet sure when or where this tornado touched down, but so far we've flown over at least ten small towns that have been damaged. Radiator Springs is just on of the affected towns. Up until last night it was the home of Lightning McQueen, the Hudson Hornet, The King and British racer Samuel McQueen."_

Sally sat with Lightning and the rest of the residents from Radiator Springs, minus Doc, Sarge, Flo and Ramone, watching the first news report of the day. The pictures on the television screen showed buildings with roofs missing and flattened signs. Debris was spread as far as the eye could see.

"There has been no sign of life in Radiator Springs, unlike in other towns where residents are already assessing the damage. All of us up here are hoping they escaped the town before the tornado reached it, or that they at least found somewhere sheltered to ride it out."

"He knew." Sally whispered. "Doc knew. He saw the conditions were right."

"He did, lass. It's not the first we've had in Radiator Springs, and it won't be the last either." Sheriff said gently.

Lightning remained silent as he watched the picture on the screen. They didn't stand a chance, he thought.

* * *

The morning dawned bright and clear for January, with no sign of the night's drama except for the debris left behind. By midday Sheriff decided it was safe for them to head back to what was left of their town.

As soon as they left the interstate the damage was clear to see. Plants were strewn along the road with bits of wood and buildings. Several times Mater had to remove a blockage from the road so they could continue. Just outside the town they found Mater's town sign and a few tyres from Luigi's shop. As they drew level with Fillmore's tent – now sitting some ten feet from where it started out – Sally paused to pick up a small sign from one of the old, derelict shops. She looked up slowly, looking around at what was left of their homes.

They gathered at the V8 Café, which seemed to have sustained the least amount of damage. All felt a sense of loss at what they saw before them, but more than anything else they were feeling the loss of the four missing cars that should have been with them.

"I guess we could rebuild. It could have been so much worse, after all." Sally muttered. "It's not a complete ruin."

"What's the point? Without Flo we won't have gas, without Doc there's nobody that can really help us … physically and emotionally. Ramone kept this place alive when there weren't any tourists, and Sarge has probably lived here longer than any of us, save for Lizzie." Lightning spoke for the first time since they'd reached the truck stop. "At least let us find out what happened to them before we rebuild the town."

"And what if we never find out? What happens then? I don't want to see this place lying in ruin forever." Sally turned to him.

"So that's it? You're willing to rebuild and just forget about the guys you used to share it with? They're good friends, Sally. I don't want to forget they existed. Doc's done more for me than any of you. I'm not going to stand by and watch all memory of his existence get wiped away." Lightning drove off before any of them could see the tears in his eyes.

A bit of paper fluttering in the gentle breeze caught his eye and he drove over to see what it was.

"What happened to you guys?" He whispered as he gazed at an old clipping from a newspaper.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I think that chapter is pretty much the same as last time. If I remember rightly, the next one has a few alterations in it.

As always, reviews are appreciated.


	4. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: See prologue._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 3**

Lightning sat at the top of the cliff by the Wheel Well Motel staring down at the damaged valley below. There were no vehicles on the road that ran through the town, and only a handful of cars driving on the interstate beyond. Three days had passed since the tornado had swept through the valley. Lightning spent every one of those three days at the motel, while the rest returned to the town to begin clearing it up in preparation for the repairs.

"Stickers?"

"Hey, Sally." He knew his voice sounded dull and flat, but he wasn't really bothered.

"You want to go out and look for the others?"

"Don't they need you in the town?" He looked at her.

"They'll understand." She sat next to him on the cliff. "Beside, you're right. Sarge, Doc, Flo and Ramone are just as much a part of this town as the road that runs through it."

Lightning didn't reply straight away.. Sally wondered what was going through his mind.

"I guess we should start in the town. That's where we last saw them after all." He said eventually.

"We could ask your dad a few questions. I know he spoke to Doc that night."

"Sally … thanks." Lightning was beginning to feel better knowing he was doing something, and having one of his friends helping him.

* * *

"Let's see, when I spoke to Doc a few nights back, he was outside the café." Samuel told Lightning and Sally, taking a break from clearing debris from the reception of the Cozy Cone.

"Did you see anyone with him?"

"Yeah, Sarge was there. I think he'd been speaking to Red." Samuel tried to recall the memory.

_"Doc! He hurried over to the Hudson Hornet as the storm raged overhead._

_Doc turned to see who was calling him. Red and Sarge moved around the outside of Doc and stopped beside him._

"_Sally said we've got to leave. What's going on?"_

"_The weather is getting worse. It's just a safety precaution. I need to get onto interstate-40. Go west until you meet Sheriff. He'll be waiting a safe distance from here. Don't hang around, there's not much time."_

_Samuel turned and sped back to the cars waiting at the Cozy Cone, shortly followed by the fire truck. He dodged Mack who was sitting outside Lizzie's shop with Guido and Luigi, apparently arguing with them about something._

"That's the last time I saw Doc and Sarge. I don't know how much help that is."

"It's great. Thanks Mr McQueen!" Sally beamed at him and drove back into the street with Lightning.

"So Red spoke to Sarge that night, and we know Red met Samuel because he left with us. So did Fillmore. And Samuel got instructions from Doc."

"And I set Mack to get Lizzie." Lightning said. "He might know something."

"Okay, you speak to Mack. I'll speak to Red." Sally turned towards Lizzie's shop where she knew Red was helping, and Lightning turned the other way to find Mack.

* * *

"Hey, Red. Do you want a hand with that?"

The fire truck looked over at Sally and nodded. He was holding one end of a sign that had once stood on the edge of the roof of Lizzie's shop. Sally rested her front wheels on the railings and lifted the other end so Red could get his end on the roof.

"Say, Red, do you remember talking to Sarge a few nights back? Just before we had to leave town?" Sally asked him casually as he finished fixing the sign in place.

He nodded slowly.

"Doc was there too, wasn't he?"

He nodded a second time.

"What about Flo, was she there?"

Red shook his head.

"Well, did you see Ramone at all?"

This time Sally got a vigorous nod in reply.

"You did? Great! Can you show me where he was when you saw him?"

Red looked at Sally and smiled. He turned and drove across the street to Ramone's Body Art shop.

"That's great, thanks, Red!"

* * *

Lightning came to a controlled stop by the Radiator Springs sign, which had somehow stayed upright and undamaged during the storm. He'd found Mater first – the tow truck had been rescuing stray tyres in his yard – and took the opportunity to ask him if he'd seen Mack. The last time Mater saw the semi, he was at the sign, but now there was no sign of him, just Sheriff's voice nearby. Lightning tried to recall where Sheriff had gone after he'd left him and Doc. He couldn't remember where the police car had gone, but there was a chance he might now something.

"Hey, Sheriff." Lightning drove over to him.

"You coming to help us out, son?" Sheriff peered over the top of the pile of tyres and roof tiles.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Take these tyres over to Mack? He's going to take them back to Luigi's."

"Sure." Lightning grabbed a couple of tyres. "Sheriff?"

"Y-e-s?"

"You know the night of the tornado? Where did you go after you woke me and Doc?"

"Went to wake Sarge and Fillmore. Why?

"They headed into town didn't they?" Lightning tossed the tyres into his trailer and returned to the pile.

"Sure. We all did. Had to get instructions from Doc."

"You didn't see Flo or Ramone did you?"

"Sorry, no. Doc went to wake them up."

Lightning seized another couple of tyres.

"It's no trouble, just trying to find out what happened to them."

"Good luck, son." Sheriff threw more tyres onto the heap and turned to the red semi. "Hey, Mack! D'you remember seeing Doc, Sarge, Flo or Ramone after I sent you into town to help a few nights ago?"

"Sure." Mack joined them by the pile of debris. "Doc and Sarge were talking to Red and Samuel. I saw Ramone go into his shop. Oh, and Sarge helped me get Lizzie in the trailer."

"Thanks, guys!" Lightning deposited the tyres he was holding and shot off.

"That kid never sits still for long." Mack laughed as he took over helping to load the tyres again.

* * *

"Ramone went into his shop?" Sally looked at the Body Art shop. It was probably the least damaged building on the outside. She moved over to it until she was sitting right outside it.

"Sally, wait! We don't know how stable it is. It could fall in on itself at any time." Lightning drew up beside her.

"There could be clues in there, Stickers. No one's been in there yet."

"Okay." Lightning replied after a short pause, "But I'm coming with you."

Inside the shop paint cans and rolls of tape littered the floor. A door hung off its hinges and all the windows were smashed, no doubt from the wind hurling objects at them.

"Stickers!" Sally called.

He carefully made his way over to her, picking his way among the cans strewn around the room. She was sitting by the back entrance to the shop.

"There's paint on the frame." She pointed out the small patch of turquoise paint on the doorframe. It matched the colour of Flo's bodywork exactly.

"Looks like they got out this way." Lightning scanned the landscape beyond. It was completely flat, with no shelter anywhere. "This doesn't look good, you know."

* * *

**Author's Note:** From here on out, I thnk I'll only be able to update once a week - most likely at weekends. I'm starting a new job in a couple of weeks, so I won't have as much time to write, and I'm coming across a few bits that are tricky to rewrite, which is inevitably going to slow me down as well. If I manage to keep up the pace, updates could be twice a week, but I doubt any more frequent than that. When I do update, the plan is to give you two chapters at a time.

Reviews would be appreciated.


	5. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Another weekend, another two chapters. I'm up to chapter 14 in the editing now, so it could be there will be an update mid-week, particularly as I should have a bit more time to write this week. I plan to get as much done before I start work week after next.

_Disclaimer: See prologue_

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 4**

A large, green trailer could be seen heading west in the early morning light. The driver read a road sign at the side of the interstate and carried on driving along the straight road.

"Our exit is coming up. Are you sure you want to do this, boss?" The driver asked the car sitting in the back.

"I know what it's like to lose someone. I want to help." The car replied.

"Okay, just don't expect a warm welcome."

* * *

Mack glanced along the road, spotting a dark shape moving towards the town. It took a few minutes for the moving shape to take a proper form and colour.

"Uh oh." He muttered. "I smell trouble."

Sheriff pulled up beside him. "Isn't that Chick Hick's trailer?"

"I sure think so."

"I'll warn the others." Sheriff drove off to the town centre where the rest of the cars were working.

Mack waited at the side of the road for the Hostile Takeover Bank trailer to reach him and pulled onto the road beside him.

"What brings you out here, Keith?"

"We came to see if we could lend a hand."

"We?"

"Yeah, Chick's in the back."

"How long were you persuading him for?"

"It was his idea, actually." The green semi shrugged.

* * *

Lightning turned around as the two drivers pulled into town, one with a trailer on the back. He recognised the colour of the trailer straight away.

"What's he doing here?" He said softly as Sally stopped beside him.

"Isn't that Chick?"

"Yeah, that's Chick all right." The King arrived in time to see the green car emerge from the trailer.

"All right, Chick, what do you want Come to gloat?" Lightning demanded before Chick could say anything.

"I've come to help."

Lightning shot him a disbelieving look. "Help, or make worse?"

"Definitely help. What's wrong, don't trust me?"

"What do you think?" Lightning snapped, and disappeared out the far end of the town, wanting to put as much space between him and his rival as possible.

* * *

Sally found Lightning sitting on the cliff top by the Wheel Well Motel once more. He was staring down at the town in the valley. The green trailer was parked beside his father's, and it looked as though Chick and his driver would be staying for a while. Lightning, however, hadn't been seen in the town for the two days Chick had been around, and had refused to speak to him or anyone else during the time the Radiator Springs residents spent at the old Motel.

"Lightning?" Her voice was tentative and wary.

He turned away from her and didn't reply.

"I know you don't like Chick being here, but he is. He's helping, and he's been doing a great job so far. You'll just have to accept him."

When he showed no sign of response she turned away and drove back to the town.

* * *

"I don't understand him." Sally was taking a break from the cleaning with her mother and Lightning's parents some time after seeing the racer at Wheel Well.

"Who?" Lilia asked.

"Lightning. He was fine until Chick turned up. What's he got against him?"

"He's another race car. Maybe Lightning's feeling threatened." Lynda suggested.

"But he's fine with Doc and Strip." _That was weird, I've never called dad by his first name before._

"I get the impression it's more that Lightning doesn't trust Chick." Samuel said slowly. "I saw most of the races in Lightning's first season, including that tie breaker. It could easily be something deeper than that, of course." He caught his wife's gaze for a moment before looking away again.

Sally caught the brief exchange and wondered what Samuel had meant. For a moment she had thought he'd been implying that Lightning was actually scared of Chick, but that didn't make much sense to her. His tone hadn't been right for that when he'd spoken to the latest visitor. It had been more defensive really, like he was warning Chick about something, but if he had, he hadn't been keeping an eye on the car.

* * *

"What was Lightning like when he first got here?" Lilia asked Sally as they drove.

She had invited the young Porsche to take a drive to think things over, knowing Sally had something on her mind, and a good idea as to what it might be. While the rest of the cars spent another day cleaning the town, she took Sally away for a break.

"He was … well … cocky, I suppose, a little over-confident. He didn't want to be here."

"What changed?"

"I don't really know. Something made him change his attitude. I think it might have been Doc. I'm not sure."

"That would explain why he was so upset when we returned after the tornado."

Sally fell silent, thinking over what Lilia had just said and the conversation with Lilia, Samuel and Lynda the day before.

_I get the impression it's more Lightning doesn't trust Chick. I saw most of the races in Lightning's first season, including that tie breaker. It could easily be something deeper, of course."_

"What was he like before he left England?"

"He was shy, nervous. I knew he was interested in racing, but I didn't think he'd have the confidence to race himself. He did get bullied for a few years too. I think that had some influence on him."

"Maybe Chick's presence reminds him of it. I mean, Chick is bigger, and probably more powerful."

"Perhaps." Lilia slowed as they reached a downhill stretch of the road. "I know you'll be able to help him. He trusts you, which is more than I can say regarding some of the others."

"I love him." Sally replied. "I want to help him." She smiled at Lilia, but something on the rocks behind the lilac car drew her attention. She moved closer to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, that she really was seeing a patch of turquoise paint.

"Sally?" Lilia followed her gaze.

"We found paint this shade on the door frame at the back of Ramone's shop."

"What does it mean?"

"It means Flo has been out this far since the storm, maybe even during it."

"But we're miles from the town. What makes you think she would come way out here?"

"Fear. That's what kept me going." Sally tried to picture it in her mind.

_Flo hurried into her husband's shop, calling his name loudly._

"_Ramone, we have to go, there's no time!" She found him in the back of the shop._

_Her eyes widened in fear as they both heard the wind roaring even louder, and the rain coming down even harder. Ramone grabbed her front tyre and pulled her out after him. She hardly noticed hitting the doorframe in her fear. He released her once they were outside, neither looked back as they fled away from the town._

_Hailstones hammered down on her body. The wind and rain stung her eyes. She suddenly realised she couldn't see Ramone any more. She span around wildly, hoping for a glimpse of him. When she couldn't she drove on, soon finding a winding road. A sharp cliff edge rose up to one side, dark against the flashes of lightning that still lit up the sky. She winced as the wind forced her into the jagged rock face._

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far. There is something I want to address after one of the reviews for the last chapter. I believe it was Sally Jonson's review, to quote the main part: "I still don't get it about the citizens caring more about fixing the town than finding their friends." I don't really remember what I was thinking of when I wrote this story, some of the finer details seem to be missing. I guess I figured they would want to get the town up and running again as soon as possible, and they might assume the four missing cars would return within a few days. When they don't...well, you'll see what happens in the next chapter, or possibly the one after.

Reviews are, as always, much appreciated. The next chapter will be up sometime in the next couple of days.


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** And here's chapter five, a few days later than planned, but never mind. There should be another update around Wednesday, so keep a look out for it if you haven't alerted me or this story.

_Disclaimer: See prologue_

_

* * *

_

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 5**

"We've got to get back, I need Lightning's help." Sally turned and sped off.

Lilia waited for the dust to clear before she followed. When she got back to the town she found Sally with her parents. She seemed upset about something.

"What's going on?"

"Lightning's disappeared." Strip replied while trying to calm his daughter down. "No one's seen him all day."

"Where's Samuel?"

"He's at the Cozy Cone with Red. Some of the tiles came off the roof." This time it was Lynda who replied.

"Thanks." Lilia drove down the road towards the motel.

* * *

"He'll come back, Lilia. He did before."

"But that was before all this happened. He didn't have anywhere to go then. He ended up here out of pure chance, what if he's gone for good?"

"He won't be. He said it himself, he's not going to stand by and watch all memory of Doc, Sarge, Flo and Ramone get wiped away without knowing what happened to them."

"That doesn't mean he hasn't moved on." Lilia was getting desperate. She didn't want to see Sally hurt, or any of the others for that matter.

"He will return, Lilia. He has friends here, something he hasn't had for a long time." Samuel said.

Lilia thought back to when Lightning had been in primary school. He'd had two very good friends for a while, before they turned on him. She tried to recall their names, but they wouldn't come to her.

"I thought he was well passed that." Samuel muttered. "Perhaps part of the reason why he came out here was to escape his past."

* * *

Lightning yawned as he returned to the Wheel Well Motel. He'd left before sunrise, and was now returning long after sunset. He'd needed some time alone to think and had gone looking for clues to take his mind off other things. He managed to get into his room quietly, with only the crunching of gravel beneath his tyres giving him away. He thought he was alone at the Motel, until a door to his right was flung open and light flooded the small courtyard.

"Stickers!" It was Sally. "Where have you been all day? I was so scared you'd had enough and gone." A stray tear rolled down her hood.

"I wouldn't leave here unannounced, Sally. This is my home. I have family and friends here, even if some of them are missing."

"That reminds me, I found something that might indicate where Flo went. I'll show you tomorrow."

* * *

"OK, so what are we doing way out here, exactly?" Lightning stared at the landscape as they drove on. It hadn't changed much over the many miles they'd been driving.

"I found something that might help us find Flo." Sally replied. "I think it was somewhere around here – "

"You said that three times all ready, Sally." Lightning rolled his eyes towards the sky, a gesture Sally noticed.

"Yes, well yesterday I didn't really know how far we'd come when I found it."

"What is _it_ exactly?"

"You'll see." Sally led him down the short hill and paused half way down.

Lightning glanced at her sceptically and turned to see what she was looking at on the cliff face. _Paint? Hang on, that's the same colour as Flo!_

"Ok, so now we've found this, what do we do?"

"What do you think we should do? What do you think the whole point of me sticking by your side was?"

"We need a plan of action." Lightning murmured, staring at the pain on the cliff face. "Come on, Dad might be able to help. I'd suggest Sarge, but well – " Lightning's voice trailed off.

"It's OK, Stickers." Sally leaned against him for a moment.

On the drive back to Radiator Springs Lightning was silent. Sally could tell something was bothering him, but she didn't want to press him and make it worse than it could all ready be. She glanced sideways at him as they approached the Wheel Well Motel, where he disappeared into his room without a word.

_What's happening to me? When did I return to the nervous kid with nobody to turn to? I'm Lightning McQueen for crying out loud! I'm not a nervous little kid any more; I'm a confident racer, with friends and a family …_

Lightning remained in his room for the rest of the day, not even sure why he wanted to hide from his friends, least of all Sally. He'd loved Sally for a long time, ever since that first drive they'd taken together. She had helped him to see who he really was, not who he thought he was.

* * *

Sally sat alone outside Doc's surgery. She was sure, if he'd been there, that he would have been able to help Lightning, but he wasn't there, and none of them knew where he was, or even if he was still alive. She sighed heavily, lost in thought.

_I'm just going to have to come out and ask him. I don't want to see him so unhappy any more. He needs help; he needs someone to show they care. Where the hell are you, Doc? We need you so damn much right now._

* * *

Chick stared at the rock formation in the centre of the dirt track. He'd found this place quite by chance a couple of days ago while looking for Sheriff. He hadn't raced around it yet; he'd never raced on dirt before. He thought of the Hudson Hornet, and wondered where he was. He would have been the best car to show him how it was done, then perhaps Lightning, if he ever chose to show up in the town again.

"Hey, buddy." A voice interrupted his thoughts.

He turned as a light blue race car pulled up beside him.

"You've been doing a great job. Doc would have been proud, even if he didn't like you."

"Thanks, King."

"What made you come out here in the first place? You're not the car I remember from the track."

Chick scuffed the dirt with his tyre uncomfortably.

"You could have killed me back in that race, but you didn't. I'm not angry with you. I know you didn't mean for me to roll."

"I never meant to hurt you like that. I only wanted to get ahead of you."

"And that's why I'm not angry."

The two cars sat in silence for a few minutes.

"I experienced a tornado when I was a kid." Chick spoke softly. "I know what it feels like to lose someone."

Strip said nothing, unsure of how to respond.

"My dad was one of the bravest guys I knew. I admired him so much. When I lost him, I felt like the bottom had fallen out of my life. It took me a long time to get back into my life, and back into racing."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I have a theory about the end of the film that cropped up in this chapter, namely, I don't believe Chick intended to roll The King. If you look at the first race in the film, you'll see him hit Lightning in the same way, and he just swerves off the track. I reckon The King's accident was purely that, an accident.

Also for those of you wondering, this chapter reveals why I have Chick helping out in RS. It's another theory of mine - Chick isn't the same car on track as off track. It's a little more AU than the other one I mentioned, but that's just me. I don't believe he's that nasty all the time.

Thanks to LightningAndDoc for reviewing the last chapter.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** You're in for a couple of surprises in this chapter, one good, one...well, I'll let you decide on that one. I'm updating a few days early, as the next one might not be on until Sunday, depending on how busy I am.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. I do however own Adam Lynbridge._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 6**

"Stickers?" Sally paused by the open door. Lightning was sitting inside the room, just staring at the wall.

He turned to face her after a moment. "Hey, Sally."

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been hiding up here ever since Chick arrived in town. Something's bothering you. What is it?"

"It's nothing." Lightning turned away again."

"It's something to do with the friends you had at school in England, isn't it?"

Lightning closed his eyes and turned even more so she couldn't see his face. "Yeah."

"What happened?"

"They turned on me. One of them was American. He was only in England for a couple of years, but he made my life a living hell while he was there. Adam was scared of him. I think that's why _he_ turned against me."

"What was this American car's name?" Sally asked curiously. She had wondered why Lightning never spoke of his life before Radiator Springs.

Lighting hesitated for a moment. "Chick Hicks."

Sally bit her lip to stop herself saying anything else. That explained why he'd been so defensive when Chick showed up in the town. It also explained why he was hiding away from them.

"Chick isn't like that at the moment. He's being really nice. Please, just give him a chance, for me."

Lightning sighed quietly. He didn't know what to do. His heart was telling him to follow Sally's advice, but his mind was determinedly reminding him of what Chick had done to him in school.

"Please, Lightning."

He turned to face her once more, looking deep into her eyes as he gave her a reply.

"OK, I'll give him a chance, but only one."

* * *

Lightning stopped in the shade of a cactus. He'd taken the first step to being around Chick again the day before, while Sally stuck by his side. Now he was seeing how comfortable he felt around the older car on his own. He'd seen Chick leaving the town at midday, and had followed him at a distance. The green racer had stopped on the track at Willy's Butte. He stood by the start line as though he was waiting for something. Lightning rolled forwards slowly, not entirely sure how to approach Chick. He jumped when he ran over a dry stick, causing it to crack loudly.

Chick turned at the sound. It didn't take him long to find the red car watching him sheepishly.

"Hey, McQueen, where've you been? I've not seen you around."

"Nowhere in particular. What are you doing out here?"

"Just thinking. How's the search going?" Chick turned back to the track.

"It's going OK, I guess, but we haven't found any of them yet."

"There's still time."

Lightning went to the start line and sat beside Chick. "You ever raced on dirt before?"

"Nah, you?"

"Against Doc. He's a great guy. I hope nothing's happened to him."

"The Hudson Hornet's tough. He'll be OK." Chick stared at the monument in the centre of the track. "There's something I need to apologise for."

Lightning said nothing; he waited patiently for Chick to continue.

"I wasn't very friendly to you in school. I'm sorry for being such a git, and making your life so hard."

"Why are you apologising?"

"I lost someone I was very close to in a tornado. Hearing about this one reminded of certain things, a lot of which I wish I'd never done, including hurting you."

The two cars fell into an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Lightning picked up the courage to start a conversation with Chick.

"Fancy a dirt race?"

"Isn't it a little too soon after your crash?" Chick shot Lightning a quizzical look.

"You've never heard of a gentle race?"

"Well … OK, but you'll need to show me how it's done. I haven't raced on dirt before."

Lightning observed Chick for a few seconds. "Sure, I'll talk you through it as we go around. One of these corners is really tricky."

* * *

Sally watched the two race cars from a distance. They seemed to be talking about something. When the pair started to drive around the track slowly she couldn't help but smile. She could have sworn Lightning spotted her as he guided Chick around the corner that had given him so much trouble, but he didn't make any move towards her or show any sign that he had seen her.

Chick drove back to the Wheel Well Motel with Sally and Lightning that evening. He found it strange at first that Lightning was being so pleasant towards him. Maybe the apology had something to do with it.

"Hey, Chick, why don't you join us tomorrow? We're going out to look for the others again. Another pair of eyes might be useful, don't you agree, Stickers?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure." Lightning seemed to be caught by surprise.

Chick tried to hide his grin as he thought about the offer. Something Strip had said to him a few days ago came back to him. _You've been doing a great job. Doc would've been proud._

"Thanks, guys. I'd love to help you."

* * *

"OK, so what do we know so far?" Lightning drove back and forth beside the turquoise paint on the rocks.

"We know Ramone went into his shop, because Mack saw him. Red saw Ramone outside his shop, but nobody saw Flo anywhere." Sally replied.

"And Red spoke to Doc and Sarge, and Sarge helped Mack with Lizzie." Lightning added.

"We found some turquoise paint on the back entrance frame of Ramone's shop, and again here, which indicates Flo came out this way, and this far." Sally followed Lightning's every move.

"Is there any shelter out here?" Chick wondered aloud.

"I don't know. I've never been out further than here before." Sally replied, still watching Lightning.

Lightning was now thinking back to the map he'd studied at the Cozy Cone. It had only survived the storm because it was shut safely in a drawer. He wished they had it with them as he turned to stare along the road.

"There's only one way to find out if Flo went much further." Chick said.

Sally looked at him. "You're right, we should go on a bit further."

* * *

The sun was getting low in the winter sky. The day had remained clear, although the wind was icy. Sally glanced at the horizon, then back at the two cars beside her.

"It won't be long before sunset. We should head back soon."

"Sure." Lightning nodded. "We'll give it another fifteen minutes."

They had driven passed a number of crevices in the cliff face, though none of them were wide enough for a car to hide in . A few miles back they had even found a cave, but that too had been a little on the small side for a car to shelter in. Sally spotted another ahead, just before the road disappeared down another hill. She looked into it briefly as they passed, but saw nothing other than a dark, gaping hole. It didn't take her long to realise she was driving along the road alone. She stopped and turned around to find Lightning and Chick bad both paused by the cave. Lightning was peering into it, and Chick was looking at her. She went back to where they sat.

"Have you seen something?" She asked Lighting.

"I thought I heard something." He frowned, not moving his gaze from the cave entrance. "Can we have a bit of light in here, Sally?"

"Sure." She flicked her lights on and positioned herself on the road so they pointed straight into the cave. She gasped as her lights found a large patch of paint on the rocks inside. She caught Lightning's eyes and continued to shine her lights around the cave. They fell upon something shiny that reflected the light back at them Lightning rolled forwards slowly.

"Stickers, wait!" She called after him.

He continued forwards carefully, keeping one eye on the floor of the cave and the other on the shiny object. He drew level with it and turned to get a better look at it. Sally spotted the sudden change of expression on his face.

"What is it? What have you found?" She moved forwards to join him, followed closely by Chick. She stared at the sight before them feeling stunned. "Flo – "

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks to LightningAndDoc and Sally Jonson for reviewing the last chapter - much appreciated!

You'll find out more about Flo's discovering in the next chapter, and I think another character in chapter 8 or 9. As I said at the top, the next chapter might not appear until Sunday, but at the same time, I might be able to post it tomorrow if I'm not too busy. In the meantime, there's a big button with green text belowthis message that's just begging to be clicked!


	8. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: See prologue._

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* * *

_

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 7**

"Oh, Flo." Sally breathed.

The turquoise car groaned weakly. Sally moved closer, gently nudging their friend's side. Flo groaned again and opened her eyes a little. A small smile appeared on her face when she recognised Sally. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

"It's all right, Flo." Sally said, turning back to Chick and Lightning.

"We need to get her back to Radiator Springs. One of us has to go and get help."

"I'll go." Chick replied immediately. "I'm probably the fastest one here, and besides, you two know her, I don't."

"We'll be waiting for you. Be careful."

Chick nodded and backed out of the cave. Sally glanced at Lightning as her attention returned to Flo.

"You'll be home soon, Flo."

"Ramone?" Flo managed a small whisper.

"We'll find him." Lightning spoke quietly.

Outside the cave darkness fell quickly. Sally shivered as the temperatures began to drop. Lightning moved closer to her and Flo, hoping to give some reassurance to both girls.

After what felt like hours, they heard engines, signalling the approach of vehicles.

"McQueen? Sally?"

Chick had returned.

"Here!" Lightning called, moving towards the cave entrance.

The green car appeared in the light of another vehicle. Lightning peered outside and found Chick had brought Sheriff and Mack.

"Chick said you've found Flo. How is she?" Sheriff asked Lightning.

"She's a little hurt, but I think she'll be OK." Lightning replied hesitantly.

"Chick, can you help us get her out?" He disappeared into the cave again.

Mack manoeuvred the trailer so the back was beside the cave and shone his bright lights into the cave.

"Thanks, Mack!" Sally's voice echoed out to them.

* * *

It was late by the time they returned to the Wheel Well Motel. Lilia was waiting for them by the gas pumps, and as Mack lowered the trailer door she went around to the back of it. She reversed out of the trailer after a few tense minutes.

"Will someone get Flo a drink? She's badly dehydrated."

Lightning went without questioning her; she had trained as a nurse and practiced for a few years until caring for a child had put an end to it.

He found Flo had been moved to one of the spare rooms upon his return and was resting comfortably.

"I've got it, Mum." Lightning passed the can to his mother, who placed it in front of Flo so she didn't have to move.

Flo sipped it and managed a weak whisper of thanks, along with a faint smile.

* * *

Lightning awoke slowly the following morning. The sun was already out and peeking through the window into his room. He yawned and stretched as Sally appeared in the doorway. She looked as tired as he felt.

"Morning, Stickers."

"Hey. You seen Flo yet?"

"I haven't been up long. I though I'd wait for you, then we could go together."

"Sure." Lightning yawned again. "What about Chick?"

"He's gone with the others. We might be able to move back into town today. We'll have to stay at the Cozy Cone for a while, but it's better than being up here."

"It's probably warmer too." Lightning grinned. "Come on."

Sally peeped around the door to the room Flo was in, and backed out slowly with a wide grin on her face.

"She's sleeping. Let's leave her in peace. I expect the others could do with some help."

* * *

It had taken them almost a week to make the Cozy Cone habitable again. The rest of the town still needed some fixing up, but most of the debris was gone now, leaving the road clear for passage. All of Luigi's tyres had been returned to his shop, along with Doc's old racing tyres they'd found lying around. The lumps of wall and plants had been taken away, and the signs stored in Lizzie's shop until they finished repairing the rest of the shops and were able to return the signs to the correct buildings.

The electricity company had been out two days previously to repair the downed power lines, so they had lights in the town once darkness fell. There was still a lot of work to do, but with everyone working together they could get it done.

Lilia and Mack returned to the Wheel Well Motel near sunset to fetch Flo and bring her back to the town while the rest gathered at the V8 Café. The café wasn't exactly fixed, but it was still somewhere to discuss the day's events under shelter.

As darkness fell, Lightning decided it was time to head back to the Cone he was staying in, but once he'd shut the door he didn't feel remotely tired. He stared at the wall, wondering where Ramone had got to. If Flo had managed to get so far from the town, was there anything stopping Ramone from going even further than she had? He sighed quietly and gazed at the plant in the cone. They had a few spare, which Sally gave to a delighted Red. Instead of making the room brighter, Lightning felt the plant was more a reminder of what they'd had before the tornado.

"_Hey, you over there. Yeah, you in the red. I could use a little hose down."_

_The fire engine cast a frightened glance at him and reversed out of sight, pulling his flowers with him._

"_What's wrong with him?"_

"_Ah he's jus' a lil shy, and he hates ya for killin' his flowers."_

Lightning sighed as he switched off the light. He stared out of the window, lost in his memories, not noticing the lights glinting happily in the sky outside.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Lightning might seem a little down in the dumps right now, but he's going to get better.

Chapter 8 is an important one, and chapter 9 as well, but you might have to wait until next weekend for those two, depending on how much time I get to write over the next few days. I know I won't be writing much tomorrow as I'm going for a day out with my mother, and then I start work on Monday, so I don't know how much I'll do in the week either.

Thanks to LightningAndDoc and Sally Jonson for reviewing!


	9. Chapter 8

**Author's Note:** This is another key chapter in the story. You'll see why by the time you've read it.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. I do however own Adam and Hannah Lyndbridge, you may use them, but please ask me first!_

_

* * *

_

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 8**

"Adam, look!"

"What is it, Hannah?"

"There's a car out there."

"In this weather? He's gotta be crazy!" The black Ford joined his wife at the window of their farmhouse.

"We should invite him in. At least he'll be warm and dry then."

"What if he's dangerous?"

Hannah fixed her eyes on her husband with a fierce glare. "_If_ he's dangerous, we'll cope with it if we need to. I don't want to see him suffering any longer."

"OK., I'll go and invite him in." Adam knew there was no changing his wife's mind once it was made up.

Adam eased out the back door and paused under the porch. The rain was coming down harder than ever, and the wind wasn't exactly weak either. He gritted his teeth and rolled out into the storm, driving carefully across the muddy field to where the strange car was sitting by the fence.

"Hey, buddy, you OK?"

The car looked at him, but didn't say anything. He didn't seem able to speak.

"You'd better come back to the house with me. It's better to stay out of the storms around here."

Adam led the car back through the field and under the porch. In the dim light that filtered out of the windows, he was able to see their unexpected visitor a little clearer. He was a dark blue colour, almost navy, and his eyes were something else entirely. While he shivered visibly, his eyes were calm and unafraid.

"It's warmer inside." Adam said, as Hannah opened the door.

Hannah watched the car enter the kitchen with curiosity. He seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place where from.

"Do you have a name?" Adam asked.

The car opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

"Let the guy rest, Adam." Hannah protested. "I'll get the spare room ready."

Adam moved closer to the fire, beckoning the blue car to join him.

"How come you were out there anyway? Most folks 'round here have the sense to stay inside in weather like this."

The car opened his mouth again, this time managing a quiet whisper.

"Escape … tornado."

"You had to run from a tornado?!" Adam stared at him looking stunned. "You must have had some luck to escape one of those. Say, you _do_ have a name, don't you?"

The car whispered an answer, but the wind chose that exact same moment to batter the shuttered outside against the walls. The only word Adam managed to make out what 'Hudson'.

"Well, Mr Hudson, I'm Adam Lynbridge. Hannah's my wife."

Hudson nodded as Hannah returned.

"The spare room is ready. I've got the fire going, so you'll be nice and warm." Hannah smiled at him.

Hudson managed a hoarse 'thanks' as he followed her down the corridor to the room.

As he gazed around the room before he settled down for the night, only one thought ran through Hudson's mind. He hoped his friends had all managed to escape the town and get to safety.

* * *

"_A tornado swept through northern Arizona early this morning. Helicopter crews and rescue teams have been dispatched to see how much damage has been done and to begin the clear up operation. Holly has been up with the helicopters._"

Hudson sat in the hallway, listening to the news broadcast. He hadn't slept well; the storm and concern for his friends had kept him awake for a long time. Hannah and Adam appeared to have been up all night too.

"_Thank you, Leigh. Meteorologists aren't yet sure when or where the tornado touched down, but so far we've seen at least ten towns that have been damaged. Radiator Springs is just one of the affected towns._"

Hudson nudged the door open and found a place beside Hannah and Adam to watch the morning news report.

"_Up until last night, it was the home of Lightning McQueen, the Hudson Hornet, and The King, along with British racer Samuel McQueen._"

Hannah turned at the slight creak of the door, finding their visitor had joined them.

"Good morning, Mr Hudson. Did you sleep well?"

"Not really." Hudson managed a weak croak.

"Adam told me you were running from a tornado."

"I was … that one." Hudson nodded at the television, where the camera car was focusing in on Radiator Springs from a helicopter.

"_There has been no sign of life in Radiator Springs, unlike in other towns where residents are assessing the damage. All of us up here are hoping they managed to escape the town before the tornado reached it._"

"They're not the only ones." Hudson muttered.

"Where are you from, then?" Adam asked upon hearing Hudson's comment.

"Radiator Springs." He croaked. "They'll be wondering where I am. I sent them onto the Interstate with Sheriff."

"What about you? How come you didn't join them?" Adam asked.

"I didn't have time to follow them. I had to go out the other side of the town."

"Well, that explains how you came to be right out here." Hannah replied, emerging from the kitchen with a can of something that she placed in front of Hudson. "Here, you might feel better."

"Thanks, Mrs Lynbridge."

"Please, call us Hannah and Adam." She laughed pleasantly.

"Only if you call me Doc." Hudson smiled at the pair. "Thanks for inviting in here last night."

"We look out for each other around these parts." Adam too was grinning.

"We do that in Radiator Springs too. I hope Lightning's OK. I don't suppose I could borrow your phone, could I?"

"Sure, go right ahead. The lines might be down though." Hannah indicated to the small table in the hall that the phone was sitting on.

She closed the door behind Doc to give him some privacy while he made his phone call, but it wasn't long before they heard him replacing the receiver on its base. She felt her heart go out to him when he appeared in the doorway, looking thoroughly down.

"The lines are down … I can't get through."

"It'll be OK, Doc."

"They'll be worrying. I have to reassure them. I have to speak to Lightning. I have to make sure he's OK – " Doc broke off coughing heavily.

Hannah watched him carefully. "I think you should stay here for a while. You don't sounds so good."

"I have to get home." Doc protested.

"Hannah's right, you don't sound so good. Stay here and rest for a while. We'll contact your friends as soon as possible."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I can think of a few people who'll be happy with this chapter. This one is pretty much the same as the original version. The main changes will be taking place from the next chapter onwards, and in chapter 19 in particular (which I'm working on at the moment), there is a significant alteration. The next chapter should hopefully be up sometime tomorrow, but don't be surprised if you have to wait a week. I've just started work, which restricts the time I get to write during the week.

Thanks to LightningAndDoc, Sally Jonson and Selene467 for reviewing the last chapter. Much appreciated guys!


	10. Chapter 9

_Thanks to LightningAndDoc for pointing out a slight spelling error in the last chapter! It has now been corrected._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cars. I do however own Adam and Hannah Lynbridge, Lilia McQueen and Jason Brooke. You may use them, but please ask me first!_

_

* * *

_

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 9**

Lightning gazed around the town with mixed emotions. It was now just over a month since the tornado. Over the last few weeks the residents of Radiator Springs had come together to repair and rebuild the town, with a little help from an unexpected visitor.

They were all very surprised when Chick Hicks turned up offering help, especially after injuring The King in his final race. He had then gone on to surprise Strip and Lightning even more by apologising for his behaviour. For Strip it was the crash that he was apologising for, while for Lightning it was how he had acted towards him in school.

Since then Chick had been responsible for a lot of the repair work, and for helping Lightning and Sally find Flo.

While the three had desperately tried to find Doc, Sarge and Ramone, their clues had faded with no more success. This had hit Lightning, Flo and Fillmore the hardest, although they all missed and the presence of three of their friends.

The cars were gathered at Flo's café when they finally got news of one of the three missing residents. The café had taken the longest to repair of the buildings they had worked on.

Lightning had gone out to Willy's Butte early in the morning that day. Sally had watched him go, but decided not to follow. She had a feeling he needed some time alone to come to terms with the loss of three friends, one of which was his mentor.

A stranger entered the town late that afternoon. He looked as though he had been driving for some time, so Flo invited him to stop for a break and a drink. Chick watched this car with interest; there was something about that seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't think where from.

"Is Lightning McQueen around?" The car asked casually. "There's something I need to tell him."

"I'll go and get him." Chick replied. "What name is it?"

"Adam Lynbridge."

Sally opened her mouth as though to say something, but shut it quickly. Chick kept his face determinedly blank as he drove off.

"Lightning!" Chick called as he approached his rival.

* * *

"What's up, Chick?"

"You remember Adam Lynbridge?"

"How could I forget him?"

"Well, he's in town now. He said he's got something to tell you."

Lightning sighed quietly. "I guess I should go see what he wants." He turned around, though stayed in the same spot.

"We're all with you, Lightning. You're not alone in this."

Lightning felt a sudden rush of gratitude towards Chick. He smiled gratefully at the green car as they headed back towards the town.

The red racer took a deep breath as he and Chick approached the café. The black Ford was the same car he remembered from his childhood.

"Adam." His voice sounded cold, but he didn't care all that much. While Adam had been a friend once, he'd also been considerably less. They hadn't spoken since they'd gone to different secondary schools.

"Lightning." Adam wasn't sure what to say now Lightning had appeared. "Is there anywhere more private where we can talk?"

"If you insist." Lightning drove off towards one of the buildings still being repaired, leaving Adam to follow him nervously.

"All right, what do you want?" Lightning turned to him when they were a suitable distance from the others.

"I was stupid in school. I should have stood up to Chick, not followed him."

"I can't blame you for what you did. I just wish you hadn't. Thinking of Chick, he said you have something to tell me."

"It's about Doc Hudson." Adam glanced at Lightning. "He appeared at my farm about a month ago. He hasn't been well, otherwise he would probably have been home by now."

"Doc's alive?" Hope flared in Lightning's body.

"At the moment. We tried to phone you, but the lines have been down."

"At the moment?"

"He's really not well. The doctor doesn't have time to come out and see him for another week. I thought you might be able to help him better here."

"Yeah. Listen, when you head back, can I come with you?"

"It's not a short drive. Doc told us about your crash. We'd be lucky to get back before dark."

"Stay here tonight, then. There's space at the Cozy Cone, and we can head out first thing."

"Are you sure it's OK for me to stay here? Hannah will be getting worried, and I don't want to leave her alone for long."

"She'll be fine if Doc's there. He's one of the best friends I've got, Adam, and a great crew chief. I have to see him again. I have to speak to him."

The Ford eyed Lightning for a few minutes. "All right, I'll take you back with me."

* * *

Lightning found he enjoyed the journey to the farm with Adam. The scenery caught his imagination, and it was good to be on the road again. He discovered it was easy to talk to Adam; almost like they'd never fallen out.

As they drove, Adam filled Lightning in on how Doc had ended up at his farm, and Lightning spoke of how he had ended up in Radiator Springs; of how it had been Doc's eventual support, and Sally saying she hoped he'd find was he was looking for that had made him stay. He'd realised that very same night he'd already found what he wanted. His thoughts drifted to Sally for a while. She had celebrated with the others upon receiving news of Doc the night before, but quickly fallen quiet again, and returned to the Cozy Cone Motel not long after. Then she seemed uneasy about something when it came to say goodbye to her, even though it was only for a few days. There was something wrong with her, he was sure of that, but she wouldn't speak of whatever it was.

Four hours had passed by the time they reached Adam's home. His wife was waiting for them on the veranda, and greeted her husband with considerable relief when he joined her.

"I was so worried. You never said anything abut staying out all night!" Her words were only for him to hear.

"I would have phoned if I could. How is Doc today?"

"About the same, really." Hannah spotted Lightning hanging back. "Who's your friend?"

"That's Lightning McQueen. Lightning, meet Hannah, my wife." Adam introduced them.

"Nice to meet you." Hannah and Lightning spoke at the same time.

"I suppose you've come to see Doc? He's spoke of all his friends very highly, especially you."

Lightning couldn't help the grin that crept across his face. "He's a great guy to be friends with."

"He sure is. I'll take you to him."

* * *

Lightning paused in the doorway to the room. The curtains were open, and a fresh plant sat in a pot in the corner of the room. The window was opened a short way to let some fresh air into the room, while a fire crackled in the hearth, not letting the room cool too much. Doc sat close to the fire with a far away expression upon his face. He seemed short of breath and weary.

"Doc?"

The old racer gave no response.

"Doc?"

His eyes flicked across to Lightning, but there was no recognition in them.

"We'll get you home, Doc." Lightning forced himself to appear calm while he wondered what could have made Doc seem so unfamiliar. It wasn't eh car Lightning remembered from before the tornado; it was almost as though he had given up on life.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This is probably the only story where Adam is likely to appear. He was a real car at one time. Unfortunately my dad lost his job a while back, and we had to scrap Adam due to being unable to sell him on, and being unable to get him registered 'off road'. The most annoying thing is my dad got another job literally a week after, and a new car a week after that (Skye). Age and mileage were against Adam, and after three years, he really felt like a friend (don't ask me how that works). We've had Skye for about 10 months now, and I just don't feel the same way yet. Anyway, enough rambling.

It's actually the next chapter where the major changes start. I'm losing track of what's in each chapter, probably because I'm tired (it's 4.45am). And in the next chapter, it's the return of Skye!


	11. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** This is what happens when I have an 'oh sod it' moment when I'm on . Three chapters in one night. Before I go any further, can I just say I have no knowledge of the USA whatsoever, and looked at an old map of the world when I was working on this story first time around.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cars. I do however own Lilia McQueen and Skye Armstrong. You may use them, but please ask me first! I won't bite, I promise._

_

* * *

_

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 10**

"Mack, I need you to come out and join me." Lightning had decided the best way to get Doc home was with the help of Mack and his trailer, and the best way to contact Mack was through the trailer phone.

"Sure, kid. Where are you?"

"In California. Adam can meet you in Ludlow. He'll show you the rest of the way."

"You're sure about that, boss?"

"We've already discussed it. If you can aim to reach Ludlow by midday tomorrow, we should be able to get back home by sunset."

"OK, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Mack. Oh, and can you bring my mother, and get Sheriff to phone whoever covers for Doc when he's out of town?"

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." Lightning dropped the receiver back on the base. He gazed at the floor and took a deep breath.

"You're doing the right thing, Lightning. Doc should be at home." Adam spoke gently.

"I've never seen him like this before. How long has he been this way?"

"A couple of weeks, maybe." Adam shrugged. "I don't rightly know. He's been ill all the time he's been here."

* * *

Lightning spent the night beside Doc. While the older car slept a little, Lighting found he couldn't drop off. Doc's rasping breath kept his nerves on edge all night, scared he would have to get Adam and Hannah to call for an ambulance. He finally fell asleep as dawn broke, and didn't wake up until Adam and Lilia were speaking just outside in the corridor. Their voices drifting through the closed door.

"Lightning's been in there all night. He's pretty worried about Doc."

"How is he?"

"Which one, Doc or Lightning?"

"Well, Doc mainly."

"We're not sure. He was ill when he turned up here."

"I'll take a look at him, but I don't know as there'll be anything I can do for him."

Lightning opened the door quietly and peered through the gap. He was relieved his mother had come. It meant Mack would be nearby, with the trailer, and the hopes of getting Doc home to a doctor.

"Lightning!" Lilia spotted her son watching them. "How are you, dear?"

"I'm OK, mum. I don't think I can say the same about Doc though." The young racer cast a glance behind him. "I'm going to go speak to Mack."

Lilia took the opportunity to observe Doc while it was quiet. He appeared to be asleep, but she knew he was awake. Before leaving, she'd asked the others to clear Doc's surgery, ready for when they returned with him, but at that time she had no idea he would be a patient there.

"Mum?" Lightning appeared in the doorway.

She looked at him for a moment before her gaze returned to the car by the fire.

"Is there anything you can do for him?"

"I haven't seen anything like this before. I don't know what I can do, if there is anything I can do. I can take a better look at him when we get back."

"Just do what you can, please, mum. I know I don't want to lose him. I don't think any of the others do either."

"I know. I'll do what I can." Lilia promised. "Can you get Mack to park the trailer against the veranda? It'll make moving Doc easier."

Lightning nodded and disappeared outside again. She watched him go and turned back to the sick car.

"Doc?" She spoke softly.

Doc's eyes flickered open and slowly moved across to her. It was as though he was seeing her for the first time, but at the same time not really seeing her at all.

"We're taking you home, Doc."

Only one word got through his fuzzy subconscious; _home_.

Lilia gently nudged Doc along the corridor towards the trailer and sat inside with him as Adam showed Lightning and Mack the way back to Ludlow.

Darkness was falling by the time Mack and Lightning reached Radiator Springs with Lilia and Doc. The cars that had been awaiting their return had managed to get Doc's surgery habitable, but there was still a lot of work that needed to be done. Lightning returned to the Cozy Cone alone that night, leaving Lilia to sit with their friend.

* * *

The small, silver car looked blearily at her clock as she reached for the phone beside her bed. Why she even had a phone beside her bed she didn't know – it was just there.

"Hello?" She yawned and glanced at the clock again.

"Skye?"

"Flo?" Hearing the familiar voice on the end of the line woke her up a little. "You'd better have a good reason for phoning me at five in the morning!"

"Skye – "

Skye thought she sounded tense about something.

"What's going on? It's not Doc, is it?"

"I'm sorry to have to phone you like this, honey. Doc's not very well. We've called Jason in, but he's not going to be here until tomorrow. You might want to come home."

"I'll be there in a couple of hours." Skye suddenly felt wide-awake.

"Take your time. It is kind of early after all."

"Tell him I'm coming. I'll be there in a couple of hours." Skye threw the blankets off and flicked her lamp on.

"Are you sure, honey?"

"He's my father. I'm not staying here when I'm needed there."

* * *

Lilia yawned. The night had gone very slowly, and she hadn't slept at all. She had a feeling some of the others, if not all of them, wouldn't have had much sleep either. There was now a hint of light in the sky, and a few birds were singing nearby. She yawned again as an unfamiliar silver car entered the room.

"Oh, um, hi."

"Can I help you?" Lilia asked politely.

"Um, Flo phoned me. She said Doc wasn't well, and I should come home."

"You're Skye?"

The silver car nodded. "I'm Doc's daughter."

"I'm Lightning's mother, Lilia McQueen. Have you met my son?"

Skye shook her head. She hadn't seen anyone around, though there were lights on at the café and motel; the moment she'd arrived in town she made straight for Doc's surgery.

"I'm surprised. Well, you'll meet him soon enough, I suppose."

"I'm not much inclined to meet him. I've seen him on television." Skye shrugged. "How's my father?"

"He's had a peaceful night. Hopefully Jason can find out what's wrong with him."

"I know he'll do his best." Skye's gaze moved across to the Hudson Hornet. "Why don't you head off to Flo's, or wherever you're staying? You look like you could use a break and some sleep."

"Call me if you need me." Lilia said, and with that disappeared out the door.

* * *

Lightning gave up the thought of trying to get any more sleep and made for the café. He wasn't sure if Flo would be up yet, but a little fresh air might help to settle his over-active mind. It took him a few minutes to register hi smother sitting opposite him, apparently asleep.

"Skye's with Doc." A voice from his left answered the question he hadn't asked.

"Skye?" Lightning turned to face Sheriff.

"Doc's daughter."

"Oh, right." Lightning remembered Doc mentioning her a while back. "When did she get here?"

"About an hour ago. Flo phoned her. I haven't seen either of them since, actually." Sheriff admitted.

The two cars fell silent as the sun rose above the hills. One by one the rest of the cars in the town joined them; the first to do so being Fillmore. The town seemed strangely quiet without him and Sarge annoying each other with their wake up calls. It was just one of the many small changes Sheriff had noticed since the tornado.

Sally was the last to arrive at the café. She settled beside Lightning and her mother as Flo emerged from the building and began to hand drinks around.

"Nothing for me, thanks, Flo." Sally muttered as the turquoise car approached.

"You're still not feeling well, honey?"

"It's probably nothing."

* * *

The sun was well up in the sky when Lilia returned to Doc's surgery with Lightning. They found Skye sitting quietly, observing her father. She'd lit a small fire in the hearth to keep the temperature of the room up, and had put a thick blanket over her father. She glanced at the door as Lilia entered with Lightning not far behind.

"Hey."

"Welcome back, Skye." Lightning greeted her warmly, though they'd never met before. "I don't suppose you know what's wrong with him?"

"It reminds me of when one of my friends had pneumonia, but I'm no doctor, so I can't be sure."

"Hw will survive … won't he?"

"I honestly don't know. Only Jason can tell us that when he arrives."

* * *

**Author's Note:** And the return of another car in the next chapter. For those of you that have read A Hidden Past, you might remember Jason Brooke. If you haven't read that story, it might help you to understand how he fits into the town.


	12. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** It's the return of Jason Brooke! On another note, if anyone missed the last chapter, Doc is back as well.

I'm doing this on my lunch break at work, so I have to be quick! Only one chapter right now, but more later, hopefully.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cars. I do however own Jason Brooke, Skye Armstrong and Lilia and Samuel McQueen._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 11**

The atmosphere in the town was bleak and tense for the rest of the week. The only time they saw Skye was when Lilia and Jason (when he arrived) managed to persuade her to take a break, and even then it wasn't for long.

Lightning and Chick spent some time clearing out the rest of the surgery and making repairs where necessary. The heating was fixed by the end of the week, but Skye still kept a small fire going in an attempt to keep the room cheery and inviting.

It was during one of Jason's breaks that Lightning voiced his concerns about Sally. He'd seen little of her for some time, and every time he had seen her, she was unnaturally quiet and reserved. It was the first time Lightning and Jason had seen each other, but the older car seemed willing enough to talk to him and accept him.

"You look like something's bothering you, Lightning." He said gently.

"It's nothing, really." He replied, caving in when he gave him a look so reminiscent of Doc. "I'm a little worried about Sally."

"In what way?"

"I haven't really seen her recently, and she doesn't speak or eat much, but every time I mention it, she insists she's fine."

"I can take a look at her, if you want." Jason offered, sipping his drink.

"Would you? Thanks, Jason."

He smiled serenely and took another sip of his drink.

* * *

It was late. Night had fallen long ago outside, but in Doc's surgery, Skye didn't notice. She was curled up by the fire, watching over her father. Jason was in one of the back rooms; the radio was playing some country music quietly, and she was happy to have him nearby. As she sat in the warm glow she thought back to the break Jason had persuaded her to take around midday. Chick had appeared at the café looking rather uncomfortable about something. She had been surprised to see him in the town, after catching the last race of the last season on television, and was even more surprised when he had willingly offered to clear the surgery for her.

_"What's up, Chick?" Lightning spotted his newest friend in the background._

_"My crew chief just called Keith. He wants me to return home and get training for the new season in a few months."_

_"When does he want you to go back?" Lynda asked._

_Chick hesitated and looked at the concrete below his wheels. "Tomorrow."_

_"I guess Doc would want me to get training too." Lightning sighed softly._

Skye felt her heart go out to him. What would happen if they couldn't save Doc? What would become of Radiator Springs?

A loud rumble of thunder from outside disturbed her thoughts. She shivered slightly and pulled closer to the fire for the warmth. She glanced at Doc, and turned back to the fire. A quiet, indistinct mumble from him caught her attention, and she looked back at him again.

"Daddy?"

The blue car in question groaned slightly in response and coughed heavily with a slight wince. The rain began to hammer against the windows and lightning flashed across the night sky.

"How are you feeling?" She knew it would be pointless if he couldn't hear her, but she had a feeling he could, and that he was aware of where he was for the first time in a few weeks.

For a moment Doc didn't reply, then after several moments of dead silence, save for another rumble of thunder outside, he opened his eyes a crack and peered at Skye.

"I'm … I've been better." It wasn't the complete truth, but at the same time it wasn't a complete lie either. "Just a little tired." He winced again with a raspy cough and sank low on his shocks.

"Daddy?" Skye probed as she drove closer. She didn't like how ill he sounded.

"I'll be fine, Skye … I'll be fine." His lungs burned slightly when he took a deep breath, causing him to groan and wince yet again.

"Do you want me to get your doctor friend? He's been here for a couple of weeks."

"Jason's here?"

"Flo called me." A deep, male voice joined them as the other doctor drove into the room. "She was worried about you, and rightly so. You've got pneumonia, Doc, and a bad case at that. You're lucky to be here."

"Thanks, Jason." Doc muttered.

"Were you, by any chance, outside in a storm?"

Doc paused for breath before answering. "I was helping organise them for a mass evacuation. Guess I stayed out a bit too long. One of Lightning's old friends came to my rescue."

"Mm, he told me." Jason looked between father and daughter. He could see they loved each other very much. "There's some medicine on the side if you need it."

"You'll need to order more in. I don't need to use it much." Doc croaked.

"I saw stocks were getting low. I'll head into the city in a few days to get some, or send one of the others."

* * *

The storm had blown itself out by morning, but it left the road icy and impassable. This also meant Chick wouldn't be going anywhere until access was restored.

Doc was grateful for Skye's insistence on having a fire that morning as the fierce wind rattled the windows and found cracks they couldn't see. He huddled deeper into the thick blanket as an icy draft blew through the room.

"Morning, Daddy!" Skye appeared from one of the back rooms. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better." He managed a weak smile. "I've got a few years left in me yet, Skye."

A troubled expression passed across her face, but it was so brief that Doc thought he might have imagined it.

"Thank you for being here, Skye." Doc coughed slightly. "You're a good girl, sitting with your old man when he's sick."

"I like being with you, Daddy." Skye protested.

"Remind me to thank Jason when I see him. He always seems to end up saving me, sometimes in more ways than one."

"You're sounding better at any rate." Jason appeared in the doorway. "And you're quite welcome, Doc."

A loud shout from outside startled them. Doc took a sharp breath, causing him to cough violently. Skye sat close to him until he'd recovered, and went to investigate.

* * *

Lightning eased onto the road and headed for Flo's café. It was the best place to find out what was going on in the town. He turned his wheels, but they wouldn't grip on the icy surface. He managed to straighten his steering and carried on along the road. The next time he tried to turn, he hit a large icy patch and began to spin. He spotted Red heading towards him and shouted a warming, causing Sheriff and his parents to jump in surprise as they sat at the café themselves. Red saw what was happening and quickly came to Lightning's aid.

"Thanks, Red!"

"Think you can shout any louder, son?" Sheriff sounded annoyed, but he looked amused.

Lightning grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. We've all had trouble with ice this morning." Samuel too looked amused.

Lightning spotted Skye hovering outside Doc's surgery.

"No damage done!" He called to her. "Yet." He added as she disappeared back into the building.

"Lightning just decided to try ice skating." Skye said as she returned.

Jason chuckled lightly, but there was no response from Doc; he'd dozed off and was snoring gently. She smiled and adjusted the blanket covering him to make sure he stayed warm and comfortable. She popped a couple more logs onto the fire as she passed and went to help Jason with whatever needed doing.

* * *

"Lightning?"

The red car turned to find Jason had just appeared beside him.

"Oh, hi Jason."

"Would you find Sally and bring her to the clinic, please?"

"Sure."

"Thanks."

It look Lightning a couple of hours to track Sally down. He eventually found her at Willy's Butte. He was amazed that she wasn't shivering, despite the exposed position.

"Hey, Sally, Jason wants to see you. She just asked me to take you to the clinic."

"I can go on my own." Sally muttered, clearly annoyed.

"I'm just following orders." Lightning defended himself.

* * *

Jason took a last look at Doc before leaving him in peace. He'd improved a lot since he had arrived in the town, but he still had a long way to go before he was back to his old self. Meanwhile he had some news to break to Sally and Lightning.

He found the two cars sitting beside each other when he entered the clinic.

"Thanks for coming." He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way.

"I'll just, uh, go, shall I?"

"Actually, this kind of involves you as well, Lightning."

"How do you mean?" Lightning looked confused. He glanced at Sally and back at Jason.

"Well, you know how I did some tests? I got the results this morning."

Sally looked at Lightning out the corner of her eye. She had a feeling she knew what was coming.

"I hope you two are ready to be parents." Jason turned to Sally. "You're pregnant."

_Yep, just as I thought._ She turned to look at Lightning properly. He was staring at Jason and looking quite bewildered.

"We only slept together once."

"Then count yourselves lucky. Some people can try for years with no results."

* * *

Sally drove slowly with Lightning by her side. They'd left the clinic and headed straight for the Wheel Well motel. They found it deserted, which gave them a good excuse to talk over what Jason had just told them.

"_Stickers, can we not tell the others for now?"_

"_If that's what you want." Lightning was still having trouble grasping the news._

"_We can tell them when we're ready?"_

"_Sure."_

"_Thanks, Stickers."_

* * *

**Author's Note:** As I said at the top of the chapter, I'm doing this on my lunch break, and I only have half an hour to eat! There should hopefully be another chapter in a few hours, most likely when I get home from work. In the meantime, this should be enough to keep you going. I haven't had a chance to write much, and haven't really been in the mood to write, for the last few nights, so it will only be a two chapter update this time around.

Thanks to LightningAndDoc and Sally Jonson for reviewing the last few chapters! Many thanks you two.


	13. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: See chapter 11_

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 12**

_The residents of Radiator Springs were gathered at Flo's V8 Café as night was falling. They'd had a bit of snow during the previous night, and hadn't seen any cars besides each other all day. Sally sat with Lightning, her parents and his parents. They were laughing about something, a joke Samuel had told them. She gazed fondly at Lightning. They hadn't told everyone that she was expecting his child, just their parents. All four of them were delighted, especially Lightning's mother._

_Sally leaned against Lightning gently, enjoying the physical contact. He smiled at her as Lilia caught Lynda's eye. Both mothers thought the couple were made for each other._

_Sally closed her eyes a little as she relaxed. Suddenly she spotted something moving against the white of the snow. She frowned slightly and tried to focus on the movement._

"_Sally?" Lightning noticed the change in her expression and position._

_She didn't reply as she caught the movement again. She thought she recognised the shape, but the low light could easily have been playing tricks on her eyes. She glanced at him, and headed out onto the road. He followed her a little hesitantly, but she was glad he was with her._

_Doc noticed Sally looking at something and Lightning following her down the road. He followed the direction they were heading in, but couldn't see anything. With a shrug he returned to his drink._

"_Sally?" Lightning tried to get her attention again, but she carried on ignoring him._

_She stopped at the edge of the buildings, staring into the slight dip in the road. She found what she was looking for – there in the dip was a dark green shape. He seemed to be struggling through the snow._

"_Lightning." She called softly._

"_What is it?"_

"_Look down there, tell me what you see."_

_Lightning stared at her, then into the dip. She heard him gasp quietly._

"_Sarge?"_

"_I don't know. I just saw movement out this way."_

_Lightning continued to watch the vehicle in the snow for a moment._

"_I'll go and see who it is, wait here." He set off carefully, in case of hidden ice. He'd had enough of that last month after the storms they'd had. He inched down the shallow incline and stopped just in front of the car._

"_Sally!" He shouted back to her. "Get Mater and Doc out here!"_

Sally jerked awake suddenly. She frowned and shook her head to clear it. What was that all about? She wondered. She looked at the sleeping form of Lightning beside her, relieved to see she hadn't disturbed him at all. She silently opened the door and slipped out into the calming early morning light. She turned away from the town and began to drive, slowly at first, but faster as she got further away from them.

* * *

Lightning woke slowly. He glanced around the room quickly and found Sally wasn't there. Looking out into the morning he wondered what had made her disappear so early in the day. He stretched and headed for the café, but she wasn't there either. He frowned, wondering where she had gone.

"Morning, kid." Doc appeared with Skye by his side.

Jason had finally allowed Doc to leave the surgery, but only so long as he took it easy for at least another month. Jason had left now he was sure Doc would recover, making Skye promise to keep a close eye on her father.

"What's up, kid?" The Hornet noticed Lightning's frown.

"Have you guys seen Sally?"

"No, why?" Skye replied.

"Just wondering. She left pretty early, but I don't know where she went."

"Have you tried looking at Wheel Well?" Doc nodded along the road out the far end of the town.

"I guess it's worth a try."

Doc and Skye watched Lightning drive off down the road.

"What's going on with them?" Doc wondered out loud. He had noticed the unusual behaviour between the two cars over the last two or so weeks since he'd been released from his own surgery.

Beside him Skye shrugged, she had no idea what was going on between the two cars either.

* * *

When Lightning returned to the town with Sally, they found Samuel waiting for them just outside the café. Steve was sitting a short way down the road.

"What's going on?" Lightning approached his father.

"I have to go back to England. I'm sorry about the short notice, Lightning. I only got the call about twenty minutes ago."

"What about Mum?"

"She's gone on ahead to the airport. She told me to tell you she loves you very much, and she wishes you well in your racing this season."

"What's going on?"

"I expect you'll find out soon enough." Samuel sighed. "I couldn't leave without seeing you first. I wanted to say goodbye properly. I don't know when we'll be able to come and see you again."

"Dad, please … " Lightning felt tears welling up in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Lightning. I have to go. Just promise me you'll keep up with your training, and promise me you won't hurt Sally. It's not worth the pain you'll feel."

"Dad – "

Samuel turned and drove away. He joined Steve and they left the town together. Lightning could only stare after them as tears rolled down his hood.

* * *

Doc watched Lightning speeding around the track furiously. He'd seen the younger car heading out towards Willy's Butte as Samuel and Steve disappeared into the distance and had followed slowly. By the time he'd reached the track Lightning was speeding around it as though he was in a real race.

"Go easy, kid, I don't want you to get hauled into my surgery." Doc called to Lightning as he passed him.

Lightning heard Doc speak, but he didn't hear the words above the roar of his engine. He sped around the track one last time, and as he reached the corner that he'd struggled with so much, he let himself go straight without bothering to attempt the corner.

"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO?" Lightning roared as he approached the cliff edge, not caring if Doc heard him. "Why? We were just beginning to heal …"

Lightning didn't immediately notice he'd run into the cactus patch; it was only when he consciously found he wasn't going anywhere that he discovered the prickly plants. He flicked into reverse, but it made no difference.

"Hey, kid, you need a hand?" Doc called down to him.

"_Was that floating like a Cadillac, or was that stinging like a Beamer? I'm confused. You drive like you fix roads … lousy."_

Lightning sank on his wheels.

"I'll get Mater." Doc took his silence as confirmation.

Lightning heard Doc leaving and silence fell upon him. He looked up to the sky, which was slowly turning grey as clouds gathered.

"Why?" He whispered. "It was so perfect …"

* * *

Doc found Mater at his tow yard. He was glad he didn't have to go all the way into town where there were others to hear them speaking. It was a while since Mater had needed to pull Lightning from the cactus patch.

"Mater, I need your help."

"Lemme guess, ya want mah tow cable."

"I think Lightning would be grateful."

Mater looked a bit taken aback for a moment. "Cactus?"

"Yep."

Doc noticed a change in the red car when he returned to the track with Mater. He seemed resigned to his fate; not the Lightning he knew. The race car he knew would be battling against the plants, doing anything he could to get free from their painful grasp. He didn't even make any comment when Mater hooked him back onto the track.

"Thanks." Lightning muttered, and drove off miserably.

"Somethin's wrong." Mater watched his friend leaving.

Doc just nodded in agreement; he intended to find out just what was bothering the youngster and do everything in his power to help him.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Second chapter in the update. I can't say if there'll be one at the weekend this week or not, as I'm going for a day out with my dad, sister and brother-in-law on Saturday. If there isn't, I'll try to make up for it with a few extra chapters, though I'm only up to chapter 20 of a possible 34 at the moment, and struggling a little. I'm working on a little extra scene that wasn't in the original story, so once I'm done with that I should be back to full speed - a couple of chapters a week if I'm lucky.

Once again many thanks to LightningAndDoc and Sally Jonson for reviewing the last chapter.


	14. Chapter 13

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars, I do however own Skye Armstrong. You may use her, but please ask me first!_

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* * *

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**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 13**

"Hey, Dad." Skye greeted her father as he joined her at the café. She glanced at him as he sat down with a sigh beside her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're not feeling worse, are you?"

"No, Skye. I'm fine."

She continued to watch him, but he wouldn't meet her gaze, or anyone else's. She wondered what he could be thinking about to be so distant, but she knew he wouldn't talk about whatever it was; like her, he could be very stubborn at times.

"Dad …"

"I'm fine, Skye." Doc smiled at her, but the smile didn't reach his troubled eyes.

She thought back to the first Christmas she had spent with him. He had given her a beautifully framed photo of her and her mother, and a music box to help her get to sleep the nights when she had bad dreams. Without thinking about what she was doing, she began to sing quietly.

_When I am down, and oh my soul so weary_

_When troubles come, and my heart burdened be_

_Then I am still, and wait here in the silence_

_Until you come and sit awhile with me_

_You raise me up so I can stand on mountains_

_You raise me up to walk on stormy seas_

_I am strong, when I am on your shoulders_

_You raise me up, to more than I can be_

_There is no life – no life without its hunger_

_Each restless heart beats so imperfectly_

_But when you come and I am filled with wonder_

_Sometimes I think I glimpse eternity_

_You raise me up so I can stand on mountains_

_You raise me up to walk on stormy seas_

_I am strong when I am on your shoulders_

_You raise me up, to more than I can be_

Doc listening to his daughter singing softly and slowly felt himself relaxing slowly and feeling calmer than he had been for some time.

"Thank you, Skye." He whispered.

She blushed lightly. Normally she didn't like to be overheard when she was singing, somehow her family hearing her sing seemed worse, but for once she didn't mind Doc hearing her; it had been for a good cause after all.

* * *

Lightning sat alone in his cone after shutting the door firmly and retreating as far into the room as he could.

"_When as the last time you thought of someone besides yourself? You name me one time, and I'll take it all back."_

His eyes sought out the picture his parents had given him last Christmas. It had been a long time since they been a proper family, and the picture was the one of them all together before Lightning had left England. He knew his mother and father weren't getting on for a while before he left to follow his dreams of being a racer like his father. When they'd been reunited a few months ago, his father had admitted he and Lilia were no longer together, but it only made the Christmas period all the more special. Now he had no idea when he would next see either of them. If only his mother had waited a little longer for him to return to the town. _That's not going to help anything_, he told himself sternly. _You should be grateful they even made an effort to join you. _His thoughts turned to his father's parting comment.

"_Promise me you won't hurt Sally. It's not worth the pain you'll feel."_ Lightning raised his gaze to the window as a few snowflakes drifted passed.

"I'm gonna be there for her when she needs me, Dad." He muttered. "Even if it means flying half way around the world to reach her."

* * *

As the days passed, Doc noticed Lightning was slowly getting back to his usual self. There were still times when he looked down, but it was for long; Mater, it seemed, had made it his mission to help keep Lightning's spirits up. Doc also noticed a change in the weather. March was fast approaching, but the weather hadn't gotten any warmer, in fact, it had done quite the opposite. Several times snow had fallen, leaving the town under a soft blanket of white, but every time so far the sun had appeared and melted it. It was during one of these snow showers that he arrived in the living quarters of his surgery to find Skye gazing at an old photograph. He didn't comment on it to begin with, until he realised she was crying.

"Skye? What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Skye jumped and turned at the sound of her father's voice. He rolled forwards, concern etched on his face, casting a quick look at the photograph as he reached her.

"I should have known." He said softly.

The picture usually took pride of place on his desk, but he had moved it last week when he had decided to tidy his papers. It was very old, and one of his favourites. It showed Doc and Alisa, Skye's mother, when they were going out – one of the few he still had from that time. He'd slotted a smaller photograph in the corner of the frame – this one a picture of Skye.

"I keep that to remind me of how lucky I was to meet your mother, and how luck I am to have you for a daughter." Doc smiled at her. "I'll always love you, Skye, whatever happens, no matter how many miles separate us, you will always have a special place in my heart."

"I know, Dad." Skye pulled out the small music box from where she had stored it. "I keep this with me wherever I go, and I know you're with me."

Doc hugged her a little tighter. "Your mother would have been proud of the young lady you're growing into."

* * *

**Author's Note:** The song (which I do not own) is You Raise Me Up. I don't know how many people have covered it. I have two cover versions of it - Michael Ball and The Fron Male Voice Choir (I can't spell their full name without reference). When I looked up the lyrics it came up with Josh Groban, so it's probably him that owns it officially.

Chapter two of the update coming up shortly!


	15. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. I do however own Samuel and Lilia McQueen and Carlos Massey._

Warning: You may need tissues for this chapter! It's the reason why Samuel and Lilia had to leave so suddenly *sniff*.

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**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 14**

Lightning stopped by the Cozy Cone office on his way back from a short training session to pick up the letter that had arrived for him the day before. He'd taken to practicing alone and early in the morning since his parents had left town. Occasionally Strip or Lynda joined him part way through his sessions, and once or twice Doc had turned up, but mostly he was left in peace.

He picked he envelope off the desk and retreated to his cone to await breakfast time, studying the writing on it before he opened it. _Why would Dad be writing to me?_ He wondered as he slit it open and pulled the paper out of the envelope.

_Lightning,_

_We're sorry for leaving so suddenly. Your grandfather has been ill for some time, and he passed away last Thursday. We had to hurry home so your mother could see him one last time. We need to make arrangements for his funeral. It is only fair that you join us in England for this. We have included your plane ticket with this letter. We'll meet you at Newcastle International airport in a week. The date and time of the flight should be on your ticket. We hope you will join us._

_Lots of love,_

_Mum and Dad._

"_What's going on?"_

"_You'll find out soon enough."_

He closed his eyes tightly and bit his lip while he got his emotions back under control. He had never really known his mother's father, but it would still be hard knowing he would never see his granddad again. He pulled the plane ticked from the envelope and looked at it. His flight was in two days.

Skye was tidying in the clinic when she heard the door opening behind her. She turned, and was about to greet Lightning when she saw the look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Doc anywhere?"

"I think he's at the café. I'm heading over there in a minute myself." Skye filed the notes away and turned the lights off.

She went to her usual space beside her father, leaving Lightning hesitating at the entrance to the café. She watched him carefully for a moment, then her eyes scanned the spaces nearby, catching Sally's eye as the young racer shuffled uncomfortably. Sally took the hint and rolled forwards until she was sitting beside him.

"Hey."

Lightning felt the tears threatening to overflow again, but quickly blinked them back.

"It's that letter, isn't it?"

He nodded, not trusting his voice completely.

"What did it say?"

"I need to join my parents in England." He managed a faint whisper, but both Doc and Skye caught what he'd said. "My flight is in two days."

Skye was forcibly reminded of the time Chick had told them he had to leave. The only difference was Chick appeared uncomfortable; Lightning looked close to depressed.

* * *

Lilia paced back and forth in the airport waiting room, shooting anxious glances at the arrivals gate whenever she passed the entrance.

"He'll be here, Lilia. His flight's only just come in." Samuel tried to reassure his wife as a surge of cars and vans came through one of the gates.

"You're sure he's coming?"

"He would have contacted us if he wasn't." Samuel looked among the throng of cars as they passed the waiting room; none of them he'd seen before.

Suddenly he spotted a familiar red car weaving his way through the crowds.

"Lightning, over here!" He called to his son.

He saw the younger red car turn and looked around uncertainly. Though Lightning had been born in England, he hadn't set tyre there since leaving for America at sixteen. Lightning's eyes fell on his parents, and Samuel watched as he slowly made his way over to them.

"Hi Mum, hi Dad."

"We weren't sure you were coming." Lilia greeted her son with a hug.

"I had to. He's family." Lightning turned to his father. "Where are we going?"

"Carlisle, eventually. It's just over fifty miles, but we can stop before then if you want to."

Over the days following his arrival, Lightning lost track of who he'd met and who he was yet to meet; it seemed his grandfather had been popular, with many friends from over the years. The initial family wasn't particularly large, but to Lightning it seemed enormous. Then there was the uncomfortable silence after the introductions when they didn't know what to say to each other.

When the morning of the funeral arrived, Lightning drove between his mother and father as they followed the trailer that carried his granddad's body. They had a short drive to the coast, and a small town where the funeral would be taking place. The sun shone down on them, mocking their glum moods.

The service in a small, local church was short; a few people spoke about the car that had been Carlos Massey, but to Lightning it wasn't anyone he knew. The granddad he knew had loved life to the fullest, and always been happier than Lightning thought possible. A look around the small church told him just how popular Carlos was – the building was packed.

Lightning glanced sideways at his uncle, his mother's brother. His hood was dry, but there were tears in those graceful green eyes.

Lightning got through the service with dry eyes, but the moment he got out into the bright sunlight the realisation hit him; his grandfather was gone, he was never coming back. Suddenly the tears were rolling freely down his hood. He scanned the crowds, looking for his parents, and several cars he didn't know asked him if he was alright. He nodded, thinking how out of place the questions were in the current situation. Finally finding his mother, he sat close to her side while he regained his composure, eventually following the others along the road behind the trailer to the burial site.

* * *

A cold wind whipped around the small plot of land. A few trees stood around the edge of the field, and a handful of low lumps suggested other burials.

The wickerwork coffin was suspended above a deep hole in the ground. A few words were said, and it was slowly lowered. Lilia handed Lightning a single, white flower. He wondered where she'd got it for a moment, but then the cars began to move forwards in ones and twos. Some dropped a bit of earth on the coffin, while others gently threw their flowers in.

Lightning went forwards with his mother, a few more tears escaping as he dropped his flower into the hole.

"Goodbye, granddad. Rest in peace." He whispered, before moving back to allow someone else forwards. _He's really gone._

_He could measure the worth_

_of an acre of land_

_and say when the wind would blow_

_Reach down to the earth_

_as it ran through his hands_

_he'd tell you just what he could grow_

_His family have stood one these ridges and rills_

_seven generations or more_

_Born to the fields, the streams and the sky_

_now he's a man of war_

_Strong winds bring him back_

_Haul away_

_When his father fell the land was carved_

_one piece for every son_

_There was barely enough_

_for a family to feed_

_hardly enough for one_

_So he went to the harbour_

_stood on the quay_

_saw the waves crash to the shore_

_Turning the cries of a man of the land_

_into a man of war_

_Strong winds bring him back_

_Haul away_

_Now the ocean was cold_

_tide running deep_

_he dreams he is home at last_

_Running handfuls of grain_

_through his fingers like sand_

_before on the water is cast_

_But he falls down deep_

_goes drifting down_

_to the dark of the ocean floor_

_When he sleeps then he dreams_

_he's a landsman again_

_but he wakes as a man of war_

_Strong winds bring him back_

_Haul away_

* * *

**Author's Note: **You probably haven't come across the song I used at the end of this chapter. It's by a Scottish band called The Midden.

The next update is likely to be a three chapter, or possibly four chapter, as I'm going on holiday for a week, and probably on Thursday as well. After that I cannot say when I'll updated (after I've come back, naturally); I'm getting a little stuck with the later chapters due to some large plot points needing to be altered.


	16. Chapter 15

**Author's Note:** And heeerrrrreee we go. Stage 1 of the four-chapter update. Hopefully I be able to get the other three chapters up tonight or tomorrow. Tempted to do a 5-chapter update actually.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cars. I do however own Lilia and Samuel McQueen, Skye Armstrong, and Hazel. You can use them, but please ask me first, OK?_

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**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 15**

Lightning stared out at the ocean as the waves crashed against the shore. Either side of the long beach hills rolled down to the sea. A cold wind blew in off the water, but Lightning paid little attention to it; he'd spent a lot of time sitting on the sea front in the week since his granddad's funeral, mostly thinking about his life and what he wanted to do with it. Somewhere out there, across the sea, Sally and his friends were waiting for him to return. Out there was the world he belonged to, the world Doc had helped him become a part of. While England was his parents' home, his was in Radiator Springs with its odd group of residents.

"Lightning?" A voice he hadn't heard for many years disturbed his thoughts.

He turned to find a bright yellow sports car watching him.

"Yeah."

"You don't remember me, do you?" The car smiled gently.

"Not really, sorry." Lightning turned back to face the water.

The car rolled forwards until she was seated beside Lightning. "We were at school together. You had a crush on me, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember, Hazel." Lightning continued to stare at the expanse of grey water spreading out to the horizon. "You've changed a bit."

"Silver was never really my colour." Hazel laughed. "I never gave up hope, you know." She shuffled a little closer.

Lightning stepped away from her. "I'm not the same guy, Hazel."

"What do you mean?" She asked, frowning slightly.

"I'm … different." He turned away, now staring at the hills in the distance as they joined the sea. "I have a life in America now. I have good friends, people I trust, people who trust me … a fiancé." _I hope._

"Then why are you here? Why aren't you with her?"

"I had to join my parents." He sighed. "Sally means everything to me. She helped me find out who I really am, not who I thought I was."

Lightning heard his mother calling him, and finally looked straight at Hazel as he made to leave. "You would do better to forget about me. We can't be together."

* * *

"Sally?" Skye hesitated in the doorway of the cone.

Sally blinked and said nothing. Skye turned to her father, who was sitting nearby and rolled forwards to join her at her pleading expression. Jason had left a few days ago, after a quiet word with Doc explaining what was going on between Lightning and Sally.

"Sally, you're not doing yourself any favours. You have to keep your strength up."

Sally glanced at him, but remained silent.

"Please, Sally, at least eat something. Lightning will be back soon." Doc nudged a can towards her, but she turned away from it.

Doc closed his eyes and turned away with difficulty. Skye cast a fleeting look at Sally and followed him quickly.

"We can give up on her, Dad!"

"There's nothing more we can do for her, Skye. She needs Lightning."

"Dad …"

"I don't want to give up, Skye." Doc faced her full on. "Sometimes you have no other choice, and you have to find other ways to process. Unless we can find Lightning and get him to come home, she won't get any better."

"But …"

"Just sit with her. Let her know you're there and you care, just like she did for you. I'll see if I can get hold of Lightning."

* * *

"Have you ever been afraid of loosing someone you love, Skye?"

Skye had persuaded Sally to take a short drive up to the Wheel Well Motel. They now sat side by side at the edge of the cliff. Skye could feel the emotion in every word that Sally spoke.

"Yes. Maybe not in quite the same way, but yes." Skye thought back to when she had first arrived in Radiator Springs and discovered Doc was her father, and then over the last few weeks when her father had been very ill. Both times she was terrified she would lose him.

"He's not coming back, is he?"

Skye didn't need to ask who Sally was talking about.

"He's only been gone a month. There's still time for him to come back."

"But how much? I want him here when … soon."

"I'm sure he'll be back soon, Sally. He loves you a lot."

"But what if he's met someone else in England? What if he's forgotten about us?"

"His home is here. This is the first place he'd want to be. I don't think he'll forget about what you did for him."

"Skye, can you promise me something?" Sally turned to her.

Skye stayed silent, unsure of what Sally wanted her to say.

"Promise me you'll find Lightning and bring him back here."

"Dad's working on it." She replied.

* * *

"When are you going home, honey?" Lilia passed a can of oil to her son.

"Tomorrow, I think, or maybe the day after. I've got one more thing to do." Lightning turned to his parents. "I'm going to be out for most of the day."

"Oh, what are you doing?" Samuel looked genuinely interested.

"I have to pick something up for Sally."

"Well, Doc called, late last night." Lilia said. "I think he'd been trying to get through for some time."

"What did he want?"

"Something about Sally. He said she's really missing you, and they all want you to return home as soon as you can. I didn't know what to tell him, so I said you'll be back soon."

* * *

_The residents of Radiator Springs were gathered at Flo's V8 Café as night was falling. They'd had a bit of snow during the previous night, and hadn't seen any cars besides each other all day. Sally sat with Lightning, her parents and his parents. They were laughing about something, a joke Samuel had told them. She gazed fondly at Lightning. They hadn't told everyone that she was expecting his child, just their parents. All four of them were delighted, especially Lightning's mother._

_Sally leaned against Lightning gently, enjoying the physical contact. He smiled at her as Lilia caught Lynda's eye. Both mothers thought the couple were made for each other._

_Sally closed her eyes a little as she relaxed. Suddenly she spotted something moving against the white of the snow. She frowned slightly and tried to focus on the movement._

"_Sally?" Lightning noticed the change in her expression and position._

_She didn't reply as she caught the movement again. She thought she recognised the shape, but the low light could easily have been playing tricks on her eyes. She glanced at him, and headed out onto the road. He followed her a little hesitantly, but she was glad he was with her._

_Doc noticed Sally looking at something and Lightning following her down the road. He followed the direction they were heading in, but couldn't see anything. With a shrug he returned to his drink._

"_Sally?" Lightning tried to get her attention again, but she carried on ignoring him._

_She stopped at the edge of the buildings, staring into the slight dip in the road. She found what she was looking for – there in the dip was a dark green shape. He seemed to be struggling through the snow._

"_Lightning." She called softly._

"_What is it?"_

"_Look down there, tell me what you see."_

_Lightning stared at her, then into the dip. She heard him gasp quietly._

"_Sarge?"_

"_I don't know. I just saw movement out this way."_

_Lightning continued to watch the vehicle in the snow for a moment._

"_I'll go and see who it is, wait here." He set off carefully, in case of hidden ice. He'd had enough of that last month after the storms they'd had. He inched down the shallow incline and stopped just in front of the car._

"_Sally!" He shouted back to her. "Get Mater and Doc out here!"_

"Sally!"

She jerked awake when someone shouted her name, and found a car sitting in front of her, but in her panic she thought he was against her. She backed into the corner, refusing to look at the car before her.

"Sally?" The car spoke to her as though he knew her. She didn't know how he knew her name, and fright kept her mouth shut.

"Lightning, get out of here!"

"But, Doc …"

"Go!"

Lightning growled as Doc shunted him out of the cone. He glared in frustration, but it didn't make any difference; Doc had already returned to Sally and shut the door firmly. He sighed. This wasn't how he'd planned on meeting with Sally again. He'd been back two hours, and was in trouble already.

He'd returned from the airport with Mack and gone looking for Sally straight away. He'd found Skye first, who told him to try the café. Once there, Flo told him Sally had gone to rest at the Cozy Cone. He'd known within seconds of getting to the cone that something wasn't right, and had gone speeding off towards Doc's surgery, much to the annoyance of Sheriff. He now returned to the café and sat where he had a good view of the motel. He would know as soon as Doc left, and would hopefully be able to return to Sally.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks to all who have reviewed the last few chapters, especially LightningAndDoc! All comments and feedback are valuable to me.

Stage 2 of the update coming up shortly!


	17. Chapter 16

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. I do however own Skye Armstrong. You may use her, but please ask me first! I promise not to bite._

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**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 16**

"Sally?" Doc approached her cautiously after sending Lightning on his way. He couldn't help being worried about her; she was shaking like a leaf, and clearly upset by something.

She turned scared eyes towards him.

"What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath. "Just a bad dream … it's nothing."

Doc kept his gentle gaze on her. "You gave us quite a scare."

"Sorry." She whispered.

"Lightning should be pleased to know you're all right. He was in a right state when he came to me."

Sally blushed, but her face remained blank of any expression.

* * *

"You didn't stay with Sally for long. Did she kick you out?" Flo commented to Lightning as he sat by the fuel pumps.

"No. Doc did."

"Doc? What did you do?"

"Nothing … at least, I don't think I did." Lightning frowned, wondering if he had done something wrong.

"You didn't do anything wrong, kid." Doc had snuck up on them without being seen. "She's OK, just a bit shaken." He turned to Flo. "Can I get a pick-me-up to go?"

"Sure." Flo disappeared into the building, returning shortly with a can of something.

Lightning decided he didn't want to know what was in the 'pick-me-up' as Doc called it. He was more interested in seeing Sally and making sure she really was OK.

"Come with me, Lightning." Doc beckoned him to follow.

The red car barely registered the use of his proper name from his crew chief as he hurried after him.

* * *

Lightning hesitated in the doorway. Doc had assured him that his presence wouldn't be a problem now, and had apologised for sending him away so roughly, but he was still unsure of how Sally would react.

"Hey, Stickers." Sally caught sight of a familiar car in her doorway. She smiled at him, feeling a little better after the drink Doc had brought her. "Guess I scared you a bit, huh?"

"Yeah, a bit."

"Sorry about that."

"Kind of an unexpected welcome back, but hey, I've been away for a while. I was kind of starting to forget what it was like here."

"I'm glad you're back. I've really missed you."

Doc felt he didn't need to say anything about just how much Sally had missed Lightning. That was up to her to tell him if she ever felt she had to. He watched as Lightning moved closer to her, remembering how he'd felt like that at one time, and wondering how different things might have been if he'd never left Alisa the way he had.

"I'll see if I can get you an appointment at the clinic, Sally. Just routine. Nothing seems to be wrong, but it's best to keep on top of these things."

Sally nodded as Doc disappeared. She knew Lightning was watching her closely; she could feel his eyes on her.

"What's going on, Sally?"

"What do you mean?" She responded cautiously.

"That's the second time you've been a nervous wreck after a nightmare. Something's going on."

She sighed quietly. She had to tell someone; just on the off chance the dreams meant something they ought to know about.

"I don't think they're normal nightmares." She began, hesitating a lot. "We're all parked at Flo's, and it's snowy. I'm sitting with you, talking to our parents, and then I see something moving in the snow; a bit of colour against the white. We go towards it, but I stop at the top of the hill, and you go down to investigate. You shout back to me to get Mater and Doc, and then I wake up."

"What do you think it means?"

"I don't know." Sally shook her hood. "I never see the car, only the colour."

"Well, what colour is it?"

"Sometimes it's green, sometime's it's brown. It's even been yellow before now. I wish I knew what it means."

Lightning fell silent. He could understand what Sally meant by the dreams not being normal, or not even normal for a nightmare, but at the same time he had no idea what the details within could mean.

"They're never the same as the one before either. Your parents were in the first few, but then they left town, and they weren't in the dreams either." Sally stared at the window. "It's always snowing though."

* * *

The clouds had been around all day, and they looked as though they longed to drop something onto the town and surrounding area.

Sheriff shivered in the unusually bitter wind. No car in their right mind would be out speeding in such temperatures, but here he was hidden behind the sign waiting for someone to come along. It had happened before; someone had been out in cold weather before. That was many years ago of course, when Sally arrived in the town. The weather probably had something to do with her breaking down.

A few white flakes settled on his hood. He gazed at them as they melted in the heat generated by his idling engine. A few more drifted down as he sat there, and he decided it was time he headed back to the town for the night. He doubted anyone would be going through his speed trap tonight.

He spotted a light on at the Cozy Cone, and another at Doc's surgery. He was just driving passed Fillmore's colourful tent when he heard something that stopped him in his tracks.

* * *

"_Sally?" Lightning tried to get her attention again, but she carried on ignoring him._

_She stopped at the edge of the buildings, staring into the slight dip in the road. She found what she was looking for – there in the dip was a dark green shape. He seemed to be struggling through the snow._

"_Lightning." She called softly._

"_What is it?"_

"_Look down there, tell me what you see."_

_Lightning stared at her, then into the dip. She heard him gasp quietly._

"_Sarge?"_

"_I don't know. I just saw movement out this way."_

_Lightning continued to watch the vehicle in the snow for a moment._

"_I'll go and see who it is, wait here." He set off carefully, in case of hidden ice. He'd had enough of that last month after the storms they'd had. He inched down the shallow incline and stopped just in front of the car._

"_Sally!" He shouted back to her. "Get Mater and Doc out here!"_

"_Who is it?" She inched forwards herself as Lightning moved to one side. She stared at the jeep in shock, a strange numbness taking over her body._

Sally jerked awake with a scream. The dream had carried on longer than the others and for the first time she'd seen the identity of the previously unknown car. It was thoroughly dark outside, but still a few lights of the town were lit, indicating not everyone had gone to bed. She was glad Lightning was sleeping in the Cozy Cone again; his cone was right across the lot from hers. She shakily opened the door and drove out into the chilly air, not sure she could even reach the opposite cone in one piece, but there was no way she wanted to be alone.

Lightning sat in his cone listening carefully; he could have sworn he just heard someone scream, though no other noises followed except for a car driving through the town. That was probably Sheriff on his way home for the night, or maybe Doc checking all was calm before he turned in. A soft knock on his door made him jump. He opened it quickly to find Sally on the ramp the other side. She was shaking worse than even, and he thought he knew what had just happened.

"Lightning …"

"It's OK, Sally." He moved closer; the contact seemed to calm her a little, but still the shaking continued.

"Lightning … the car … I know who it is."

He looked at her properly. She seemed pale, and as though she was having trouble getting him in focus.

"… It's Sarge …"

Sally felt herself fading as she spoke, desperate to tell someone what she had seen in her dream.

"Stay with me, Sally!"

Lightning's voice was distant. She tried to concentrate on his gentle tone, to hold on to what little senses she had, but it was no good.


	18. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer: See previous chapter_

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* * *

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**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 17**

Sheriff watched as a silver-blue car drove unsteadily across the Cozy Cone parking lot to one of the cones on the other side, and then a red sports car joined her outside. At least there was someone Sally was willing to turn to when she needed to talk about something. He began to move off again, but something Lightning said drifted over to him along with another gust of wind.

"Stay with me, Sally!"

He frowned and hurried over to the two cars.

"Lighting!"

The younger car looked up when Sheriff approached.

"What happened?"

"I don't know." Lightning looked at him desperately. "Can you get Doc?"

Sheriff nodded once and sped off. Lightning moved so he was beside Sally, his side touching hers. She always seemed to find comfort in physical contact.

"… _It's Sarge …"_

Had Sally somehow seen something that was about to happen? Would Sarge actually be returning after almost four months after the tornado?

"Lightning? What happened?" Skye had arrived.

"I don't know. I heard her scream, and then she appeared over here."

_Should I tell her? _Lightning wondered, looking at Sally again.

"Lightning?" Skye prompted.

"It was something about one of her nightmares."

Skye nodded. "Dad's on his way. He won't be long. He's getting something from his surgery."

Doc appeared at his daughter's side as she told Lightning he wouldn't be long. He'd grabbed a few medical supplies based on Sheriff's information before driving to join them. A light snow was falling around them.

"Let's get her into the warmth." He glanced at Skye as he spoke, but Lightning and Skye didn't notice.

The red racer gently nudged Sally into his cone. She wasn't shaking any more, but her breathing was shallower then he would have liked. He pulled back beside Skye to give Doc room to look at her, chewing his bumper nervously as he waited.

Doc's analysis came quickly. "She's weak from not eating properly. The nightmare on top was probably too much. She should be fine."

"What about the baby?" Lightning asked.

"I won't know for certain until I see her in my surgery. I'll see if I can fit her in tomorrow." Doc began to pack his medical equipment. "Lightning, can you go to Flo and get Sally's regular, please?"

"Sure." Lightning disappeared into the gentle snow.

Doc nudged Skye's side lightly, drawing her gaze to him.

"Are you OK, sweetheart?"

She leaned against his side with a quiet nod. Her first winter with her father was rough, and difficult for both of them, and every time she saw snow she was reminded of it. She had been very ill for a lot of that winter, and though she had pulled through, she couldn't shake the fears left behind.

"It's alright, Skye. I'm here." Doc gently stroked her wheel.

A slight cough from Sally caught their attention. Doc turned to her at the same moment as Lightning's return.

"Put it in front of her, kid." Doc said as Sally's eyes flickered open.

Sally's slightly fuzzy eyes followed Lightning's approaching figure, and Doc and Skye watching them.

"What happened?" Her voice sounded weak, even to her.

"You fainted." Doc replied softly. "Do you remember anything?"

Sally glanced at Lightning. Her eyes widened when she saw the thin layer of snow coating the red paint of his body. She turned to look outside, backing further into the cone. Lightning met Doc's eye and gave a slight shake of his hood as he moved closer to Sally, finding she was shaking again.

"Sally, it's OK."

"In the dreams it was always snowy." She whispered fearfully.

"What dreams?" Skye looked between Lightning and Sally, wondering what they were talking about.

"I'll tell you when I'm ready." Sally whispered, not taking her eyes off Lightning.

"It – " Skye fell silent at the look Doc gave her.

"Sally, I think you ought to stay here tonight. Try to eat something, you might feel better." Doc's orders came with a gentle but firm voice. "I want to see you in my surgery tomorrow for a check up."

Sally nodded, and father and daughter left the two cars in peace.

* * *

When the town woke in the morning, it was to find the town covered in a blanket of white. Lightning looked at the snow with apprehension. Sally was yet to wake, but after her words last night, he wasn't sure how she would react to the weather. She'd had a peaceful night once Doc and Skye had left, though having someone with her seemed to calm her properly.

"Stickers?"

He turned to see her beautiful green eyes watching him.

"It's still there, isn't it? The snow."

He nodded silently.

"The dreams are never the same. Something is always different in them, except for the snow."

"Well, if it is a vision of some sort, we'll just have to face it when it comes." Lightning kissed her gently. "Come on, let's go and get some breakfast, then we can get you to Doc's surgery."

Sally returned the kiss and opened the door. A sudden blast of cold air hit them, and she backed into the cone slightly.

"It's going to happen today, Lightning." She whispered. "I don't know how, but I know it's going to be today."

"You won't be facing it alone, Sally. I promise I'll be with you all day."

"Thank you." She turned grateful eyes upon him as they made their way into the light covering of snow.

* * *

Lightning paced back and forth in Doc's garage-cum-office as he waited for Sally to return. Skye was helping her father with his paperwork, but had to give up after a few minutes; Lightning was causing too great a distraction.

"Would you sit still?"

"Sorry." Lightning stopped in the middle of the room.

"I'm sure Sally will be fine."

Lightning shot her a grateful smile, but five minutes later he was pacing again.

"Lightning!"

"Sorry, Skye." He muttered.

"If you're going to pace, make use of it and strap a shovel to your bumper!"

Lightning stopped his pacing, but still he couldn't sit still. Skye glared at him, but there was some amusement behind the stare. At first she couldn't see what had made Sally fall for the young racer, but over the last few days she came to see how much they cared about each other. She shook her hood in exasperation and disappeared into the back.

Not long after she'd gone, Doc returned with Sally. He gave Lightning a reassuring smile as the young car shot forwards.

"Everything's fine. I'd say you've got a couple more months yet. Now you two go and have fun. I don't expect to see you at the track today, Rookie."

* * *

It was late afternoon. Most of the residents of Radiator Springs were gathered at Flo's V8 Café in the early evening light, the sun peeping between the clouds. Luigi and Guido were busily rearranging their displays, while Red and Mater had spent most of the day clearing snow and ice off the roads. Lightning sat beside Sally and her parents, and across from them Doc sat with Skye, Sheriff. They'd had a quiet day, with no travellers coming through the town. Sally leaned against Lightning with her eyes closed and a relaxed smile on her face while her parents talked excitedly with Lightning and Doc; she and Lightning had just told them she was expecting his child.

Doc observed the two cars carefully. Sally had seemed on edge all day; Sheriff had startled her when he'd drive up to her from one side, and he wasn't even quiet about his approach. Lightning too seemed a little tense. Now though, they looked relaxed enough.

Sheriff too watched Sally and Lightning together. She had somehow managed to do what he initially though impossible. Lightning was a very different car compared to the one that had first arrived in their little town. He thought back to the snowball fight Lightning and Mater had staged earlier. Fillmore joined in for a while, showing a side of the VW that few ever saw. He was looking increasingly lonely as more time went by with no news of Sarge. They had done their best to find the remaining two cars, but all leads had dried up a long time ago.

* * *

Sally yawned widely and opened her eyes reluctantly.

"Hey, you want to head back to the cone and get some rest?"

"You read my mind." Sally smiled at Lightning.

She blinked sleepily as they drove side by side down the road. Slight movement ahead caught her eye. She frowned; her eyes could easily be playing tricks on her, but then she saw it again. A flash of colour against the white of the snow.

"Stickers …" She nudged him with a tyre.

"What is it?" He looked at her, then followed where she was looking as the flash of colour slid down the road into a dip.

He rolled forwards cautiously. Sally hung back a moment before she followed him slowly, stopping as he slid down the nearest side of the shallow dip.

"Careful." He called back to her. "It's pretty icy down here."

She bit her lip but followed anyway. She was still making her way down the gentle slope when Lightning called back to her.

"Sally, get Doc and Mater!"

"Who is it?" She let herself slide down the last bit of the incline, coming to a graceful stop beside Lightning. She took one look at the battered car and turned around. "I'll be right back."

She scrambled up the slope and sped off as fast as she could, back towards the town. _It's just a dream. I'm dreaming. I'm going to wake up any minute._

"Sally?"

_Oh God, I'm not dreaming! _She suddenly realised she was crying.

"What's wrong?" Skye was looking at her worriedly.

"I have to get Doc and Mater."

"Why, what's going on?"

"Please, Skye … just help me out here. I need to get Doc and Mater."

"Sally – "

"Please." She was starting to feel desperate. "You're faster than me at the moment. Please."

"OK, you wait here."

Sally took a deep breath as Skye shot off down the road. It wasn't far into the town, but every second counted.

* * *

"Sally? What's going on?" Doc appeared with Mater by his side.

"Doc …" She closed her eyes against the threatening tears.

"What is it?"

She found his voice strangely calming. "It's Sarge." She managed to choke out as the tears won the battle.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hm, now I could be really cruel and leave it there until I return from my holiday......


	19. Chapter 18

**Author's Note:** I decided not to be quite so cruel...yet...

_Disclaimer: See chapter 16._

_

* * *

_

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 18**

"Where is he, Sally?"

"Back there ... with Lightning."

Doc indicated to Mater to go on ahead.

"Sally, listen to me. Go back to town and tell Skye I'll need the surgery setting up. She'll know what to do." Doc spoke with a firm voice, making sure he spoke slowly and calmly.

She nodded, managing to control the tears as Doc helped her see sense.

"Sarge's tough. He'd have to be to make it back in this weather."

* * *

Lightning sat close to the army jeep, speaking from time to time just to keep Sarge coherent. He didn't know why he was doing it, but it seemed instinct had taken over.

"Come on, buddy, don't give up on us now. Sally's been pretty worried for a while. I guess we all have. And Fillmore misses you. I hate seeing him so lonely; you two are great friends, even with your massive differences."

Sarge's eyes flickered open as Mater arrived.

"Welcome back, Sarge." Lightning grinned in relief.

"Where's Doc?" Sarge winced. Talking hurt.

"He's – "

"Right here."

Lightning turned around quickly as the blue Hudson Hornet approached and took over.

"What hurts?"

"Everything." Sarge coughed roughly.

Doc eyed him with medical experience. "How's your driving?" He knew Sarge preferred to do things for himself most of the time.

"I won't complain if you want Mater to lend me his tow cable." Sarge managed a weak smile that looked more like a painful grimace.

* * *

Doc looked out the window and sighed heavily. He could see his friends gathered at the café. He didn't know what they had planned, but he had to do something he was already regretting. The snow was beginning to melt; it wouldn't be long before spring arrived. As the days got longer, the townsfolk were able to spend more time together at the café at the end of the day. The news he had to tell them now wasn't something he wanted to do; he wanted to turn away from it, ignore it, just like he had done with racing until Lightning came along. The worst would be telling Fillmore. The hippy had taken to Sarge right from the start, something that still amused the Hornet.

"You have to tell them, Dad." Skye was watching him from the doorway.

"I know, I just wish I didn't have to." He turned his sad eyes upon his daughter. "Stay with Sarge until I get back. I won't be long."

"Take as long as you need, Dad. I can cope here."

Doc saw the truth in her words. Even though she wasn't medically trained, she had quickly picked up on some of the things he did and was quickly becoming his unofficial assistant and secretary. He knew she would have made a good doctor, but she didn't want to do that, and he trusted her to do what was right for her. With another sigh he headed out into the cold air.

* * *

"Morning, Doc!" Flo called across to him as she served Lightning and Sally.

Doc grunted a reply and settled in his normal place.

"The usual, Doc?"

"Thanks, Flo." He nodded.

The turquoise car disappeared into the café, returning with a can of oil a moment later.

"Is something wrong, Doc? You look like death this morning."

He flinched at her words as she placed the can in front of him; ever observant, she picked up on the motion.

"It's not Sarge, is it?"

The others fell silent at her question, watching Doc carefully. He lowered his eyes to the can uncomfortably.

"He got worse in the night. I don't know if he's going to make it." Doc looked up at Fillmore sitting opposite him. "I'm sorry. There's nothing more I can do for him." He headed back to the surgery alone, his breakfast untouched.

* * *

"Lightning."

"Hey, Mr Weathers."

"You've got five minutes to get yourself out to Willy's Butte." Strip got straight to the reason for searching for the younger car.

Lightning turned to the light blue racer. "Mr Weathers – "

"You need something to take your mind off Sarge. Training is the best thing for it, trust me."

Lightning sighed as he turned back towards the town. None of them had seen Doc or Skye since breakfast, and he couldn't help but wonder what was going on in the small surgery. Fillmore had retreated into his colourful home part way through the morning; nobody had seen him since, though the music drifting out told them he was still in there.

"Sarge is my friend. I can't help being worried."

"Which is why I want you out at Willy's Butte. You've already missed out on a month of training when you were in England. It's not long until the season starts; you need all the practice you can get."

"It's two months away."

"And you still need to train." Strip fixed a stern gaze on him.

Lightning looked over at the Cozy Cone. Today wasn't the right day. He would have to ask her another day.

"OK, I'll see you out there."

Strip nodded and drove off, going on ahead to the dirt track.

* * *

"_Residents of northern Arizona are being urged to keep an eye on the weather conditions over the next few days. Meteorologists are saying conditions are once again right for tornados to form._"

Doc gazed at the unconscious jeep on the lift in front of him. He'd decided to try turning the radio on to see if Sarge would react to it, but so far there were no changes. This he knew wasn't a good sign, but then neither was the weather forecast. He left the radio on as he headed out into the town centre.

It was now nearing the end of January. In a few short weeks, Lightning would be required to attend a qualifying race n California in order to be in the running for the Piston Cup. His training had been going well, mostly under the guidance of Strip, although he was prone to a lapse in concentration from time to time.

The weather had remained clear for a few days, but with the slowly increasing temperatures, the humidity too was rising. The cloud was cloudless, but still something didn't feel right to Doc. He knew what he had to do with the help of the others, even though he didn't much want to. This was worse than telling them one of their friends might never wake again. He pulled up by a gas pump at the café.

"Afternoon, Doc." Sheriff was the first to notice him sitting with them.

"Sheriff." He looked around the café to see who else was there. "Where's Sally?"

"Talking to Skye." Lightning replied, half way through saying something to Strip.

_Better wait for them to return. Best to tell them all at the same time_, he thought, still making a note of who was missing.

"Can someone get Fillmore and Red? I have something to tell you all."

"What's going on?" Skye appeared with Sally beside her.

"I'll tell you when we're all here." Doc watched Flo heading towards the fire station. After Sally she seemed to be the most able to understand Red, and the VW had been most like himself with Flo since Sarge's return.

Once the remaining cars had joined them at the café, all eyes turned to Doc. Once again he found he couldn't look anyone in the eye, and stared at the spot just in front of his tyres.

"I just heard a weather report. We're in danger of getting another tornado. We should get out of here while we still can, just to be on the safe side. I think it's best if we head towards California."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I had to adjust the timeline slightly. In the original story the end of this chapter was actually set in late March - I was basing the racing season on Formula 1, and then I found out the NASCAR season starts in February. A little tweaking was in order there, but I think I can get it to work.


	20. Chapter 19

**Author's Note:** OK, I decided to do a 5-chapter update. You'll have to wait a while for the next lot of updates though, but on the up side - a little bonus feature that wasn't in the previous version.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. I do however own Skye Armstrong, Matt, and 'the silver Audi' (he's nameless). You can use them, but please ask me first!_

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 19**

Lightning stuck faithfully beside Sally that day. Doc was somewhere ahead with Sarge in Matt's trailer. Skye too was somewhere ahead with Sheriff, leading them west along the highways. Mack brought up the rear of the group with Lizzie, Guido and Luigi in his trailer. Lightning glanced sideways at Sally as they drove into the evening sunlight. She had been quiet all day, and for the last hour or so seemed to be struggling to keep up. He slowed down to keep pace with her.

"Are you OK, Sally?"

She nodded silently, not trusting herself to speak. She noticed Lightning kept looking at her from time to time, but he never said anything, for which she was grateful.

"It'll be OK." He said after a few more miles.

"But what if it isn't? Radiator Springs is our home. Most of them don't know anything outside of the town. They don't know what to expect in other towns and cities. What's going to happen if we can't go back? What'll happen if Ramone comes back to town, and we're not there? He'll think we've deserted the town and him!"

"We did search for him for ages."

"But he won't know that. It's all going wrong."

"It'll work out, Sally. We'll find Ramone, and we'll rebuild the town as many times as we have to." Lightning spoke gently. "Do you remember saying you hoped I'd find what I was looking for?"

Sally nodded, wondering where he was going.

"I already had. I'd found friends, cars I wanted to be with. I'd found you too. I can't tell you how much I love you, Sally. I don't mind where I live, as long as I have my friends and you by my side."

Sally smiled at him. "I love you too, Stickers. You have a wonderful way with words sometimes."

* * *

They were on the road for a few hours before Sheriff led them into a truck stop, which just happened to be the same one they'd stopped at before.

"Hello again." The silver car recognised them quickly. "Wasn't expecting to see you lot again. Not all at once anyway."

"One of our friends is ill. He needs specialist treatment." Doc emerged from the back of the trailer.

It was the first time he'd spoken of Sarge for a few days. Lightning glanced at Fillmore, wondering how he would take the latest news on his best friend. Tears shone in the hippy's eyes, but he remained composed.

"Do you all have to go with him?"

"We wouldn't leave him by himself. He's a good friend. Besides, we can all help him in some way. Maybe not the type of help he needs right now, but it's still helping him." Sheriff spoke up.

Lightning noticed the defensive tone in the otherwise calm voice. The silver car backed away from them, returning to the office.

"Is it true, Doc?" Flo asked as soon as the silver Audi had disappeared.

"It might be. I'll need to get him to a proper hospital before I can be sure."

"We can carry on tonight if you want." Sheriff said.

"No. We'll continue in the morning. We're all tired. We need to rest, some of us more than others." Doc's gaze slipped across to Sally for a brief moment, but it went unnoticed by all except Skye. "Besides, there's a storm coming. It won't be safe."

* * *

Doc sat in the parking lot, with just Skye beside him. They'd been given rooms for the night, though a few of them had to double up. It was getting late, but until everyone was settled, and he was sure they had all they needed, he didn't want to turn in for the night. A distant rumble of thunder made him raise his eyes to the sky. Heavy clouds blocked the stars and moon from view.

"It's the storm." Skye whispered at his side.

"We should get inside." Doc said, though he still hung back in the parking lot for a few more minutes, leaving his daughter to go ahead.

The wind was picking up, blowing leaves around him and into his face. He turned away from it, heading for the safety of the buildings as another, louder, rumble of thunder rattled through the air.

Before long the storm was raging all around them. Rain rattled the windows, and the wind whistled through any gaps it could find. The odd flash of lightning lit up the sky and the darkened rooms.

Lightning had turned the light on in his and Sally's room, but with a loud crack from outside, the room was plunged into darkness. He heard Sally cry out in surprise and fear, but in the dark he couldn't find a safe path to her.

"Turn your lights on!" He called to her, and weak light lit the far side of the room. He quickly made his way to her; the moment he was beside her, she let her lights fade until nature provided the occasional light.

Something heavy hit the wall outside, making both cars jump. Lightning could feel Sally shaking badly as she leaned against him.

"It's OK, Sal." He said softly. "We're safe in here."

With the next flash of lightning came the tinkle of breaking glass. Lightning automatically pressed Sally back against the wall. The wind was louder than before, and the sound the rain clearer, but nothing else seemed to have changed.

"Put your lights on." He said, looking around the room slowly.

In the dim light provided by Sally, he carefully made his way towards the door, his tyres crunching on broken glass. A heavy branch had struck the window, making a sizeable hole in it. Already rain was soaking into the carpet below the window, the wet patch slowly spreading as more water came in.

"Stickers, come away from there!" Sally cried, her voice barely audible over the thunder. "Please, get away from the window!"

He was back by her side in an instant, quietly reassuring her and trying to get her to calm down. He glanced back at the window, listening to the dripping rain.

"We need to move." He told her.

"No! We can't."

"We have to, Sally. Anything could get blown in here. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm scared." She whispered.

"I know." He rolled forwards and let her lean on him. "It'll be OK."

He desperately tried to think of somewhere else where they would be safe from the storm. A door with shining silver numbers popped into his mind. It was only a short drive to get there, but leaving the room was just as bad as staying near the broken window.

"Come with me." He pulled back and looked straight into her eyes. "I know where we can go. Come with me."

She nodded jerkily, her breath coming in short gasps. He led her to the door, flipped the bolt back, and gently pulled her out into the storm. He stuck close to the wall, trying to protect Sally with his body as best he could. He scanned the numbers on the door until he reached the one he was looking for. Pulling her close to him, he raised a tyre and knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

"Come on, somebody answer!" He shouted, hitting the door harder. "Doc, please! Open the door!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Major cliffie! And this is where I leave you guessing. I'm going away on Saturday for a week, so you'll have to wait possibly a couple of weeks for the next chapter. I'm actually struggling a little with the later chapters in the story - there are a lot of changes that I need to do, most of which could prove to be difficult. I'm up to chapter 24 now, I believe, and I doubt I'll get to write any while I'm on holiday, at least, not to this story :( . I should be able to pick it up again pretty quickly after I return. It's only for a week after all.


	21. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:** After the way I left it last time, I think you deserve a couple of chapters this time around. There might not be many updates for a while though - I'm starting to get stuck with the editing, and it's proving difficult to get around.

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cars, I do however own Skye Armstrong._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 20**

Too busy hammering on the door and trying to be heard over the storm, Lightning didn't hear the movement inside the room. His tyre fell to the ground mid-knock as the door was flung open.

"Rookie? What the hell are you doing out there?" Doc's gruff voice greeted them. "Get in."

Lightning sent Sally in front of him, scurrying in behind her as Doc slammed the door, deadening the sound of the storm.

"Skye, get the spare blankets!" Doc shouted to his daughter as Sally sank to the ground in the middle of the floor. He hurried to Sally's side, joined shortly by his daughter and Lightning. "What happened?"

"I – I think we must have had a … bad room or – or something. I- It was the storm, i – it …" Lightning broke off, barely able to find the words he wanted.

"It's OK." Doc took one of the blankets Skye held out to him and gently draped it over Sally's shaking form. He did the same for Lightning with the other blanket, gaining a thankful look from the young racer. "Just rest for now. There'll be time to talk in the morning."

Relieved to be out of his room and in safe tyres, Lightning finally let himself relax as Doc spoke quietly to Sally. He could feel his tyres trembling slightly, and had the odd sensation of someone or something watching him. Looking around he caught Skye's eye. Her expression was unreadable, but no longer cold as he was used to. He figured she only knew him through the news reports and footage of past races.

* * *

Sleep didn't come easily to the occupants of room 35 that night. Lightning slept fitfully as the night and storm wore on into the early hours. Sally seemed quite restless in the time he was awake, and nothing he and Doc did could get her to settle, the result of which meant Doc was unwilling to go to sleep, tired though he was. Skye stayed awake as long as she could to support her father and friends, though eventually she retreated to a corner and settled down to get some sleep for a while.

They hardly noticed when the storm stopped; Lightning and Doc both dozed, while Sally struggled to find a comfortable position to rest in, and in her corner Skye slept on. In fact they only realised the storm was over as dawn broke over the land, the early morning light glinting off the puddles left behind.

It was shortly after dawn when Skye woke, finding Sally leaning wearily against Lightning and her father talking quietly to the pair. She joined them after a few minutes, gaining a soft greeting and a quick hug from Doc.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" He asked her, seeing how tired she looked.

"I'm OK, Daddy." She smiled, and then yawned.

"Will you be able to hang on here for a minute if Lightning and I go and fetch breakfast?"

"Uh huh."

"Good girl." He nudged her fondly with his tyre, getting another smile in return.

Lightning waited until he and Doc were out of the room, and the door was closed behind them, before he said anything.

"Doc – "

"Lightning, we need to talk." He interrupted.

"What about? If it's my training, I'll get straight back into it in California. You don't need to worry about that, and Strip's been helping me anyway."

"It's about Sally." Doc sighed, casting a glanced back at the door as they drove towards the main building. "I don't think she ought to drive far today; she needs to rest."

"What about Sarge, though? I thought you wanted to get him to a hospital as soon as possible."

"I have to think about everyone else as well. I don't want to leave her behind."

"So don't."

"After last night, anything could happen. I can't risk it."

"Can't we get her to ride in one of the trailers?" Lightning looked at the pale blue and red trailers parked beside each other, remarkable undamaged after the rough night.

"What about Lizzie? She'll never be able to keep up." Doc sighed, his eyes on the grey clouds overhead. "I don't know what to do."

"I'll drive beside her, and if anything happens I can get you on the radio."

"I guess." Doc attention was diverted as they drove passed the room that Lightning and Sally had occupied. The broken window was clear to see, and soggy debris littered the floor just inside the room where it had blown through the hole. "You did the right thing last night, kid."

* * *

It took a lot of persuading, but finally Doc agreed they would all carry on together, provided Lightning or Skye drove beside Sally at all times. They were close to the border of California, but it was still a long way before they reached the 'proper hospital' Doc had mentioned the night before. He knew their best chance were in LA, and it would give Lightning a chance to train on an asphalt track before the season started.

At the start of the drive, Sally was among the more energetic cars, but as the day wore on and afternoon drew towards evening, she fell quiet again. Doc, worried about her after the rough night, kept radioing back to Lightning to check on her. He decided they needed to stop a little earlier than originally planned, and got Matt to pull into a motel a few miles outside LA.

The motel was small, and busy, but there was just enough space for them if they doubled up in some of the rooms. Doc let Fillmore bunk with Sarge that night, opting to share with Sheriff, and leaving Lightning with Sally again. Flo agreed to share with Skye and Lizzie.

They settled in the small parking lot for dinner, huddled in a small group that was almost out of place. Sally sat the edge of the group of friends beside Lightning, a little annoyed at the glances he kept sending her way periodically.

"I'm fine." She muttered. "I'm just tired. I think I might get an early night and hope for no more storms." She kissed him lightly and disappeared in the direction of the rooms with Lightning and Skye watching her leave.

"Dad's in room ten if you need him."

Skye's statement drew a raised eyebrow from Doc and a curious look from the others. Doc seemed to agree with her, for he told Lightning to go after Sally and not leave her alone for long if he could help it.

As Lightning headed for the room he was staying in, he thought about Doc and Skye. They seemed to share some unspoken connection, unless they both had similar thoughts at the same time. He found himself wondering if Skye could somehow predict what was about to happen, but on second thoughts, it was a silly idea. It was probably just coincidence, or she knew what to look for.

Sally was sleeping peacefully when he joined her. He smiled and flicked off the light, settling down beside her for the night.

* * *

"Stickers." Sally nudged the sleeping racecar with a tyre; she didn't get any answer or movement from him. "Stickers." She nudged him harder, but still no response. "Damn it, Lightning, wake up!" She thumped him.

Lightning jerked awake, flinching away from whoever was hitting him.

"Stickers!"

He opened his eyes reluctantly, blinking in the bright, artificial light, sure he had turned it off when he went to bed. A pained gasp from his side distracted him from his thoughts.

"Sally?" He turned to look at her. "What's wrong?"

She winced heavily and drew a sharp breath. "I need you to get Doc.."

"Sally …"

"Just go, please!" She sounded desperate.

"I won't be long." Lightning kissed her gently and sped off.

Lightning hurried along the path to Doc's room, remembering what Skye had told him earlier. A small street lamp lit the small patch of concrete, which was brightened periodically by the flash of the neon sign above the office. He pounded on the door, hoping Doc wasn't in bed yet. There were noises inside the room, but Lightning didn't let up until the door was opened and Sheriff appeared.

"Where's Doc?" Lightning asked immediately.

"I'm right here." Doc appeared behind Sheriff. "What's wrong?"

"Sally needs you." The young racecar looked close to panicking. "I think she might be having the baby."

"Come in." Doc indicated to Sheriff to open the door further. "I'll only be a moment."

As Doc passed Sheriff on the way to get his medical kit, he whispered a few words to the police car; "Try to keep him calm."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I get the impression Lightning tends to overreact in some situations (like when Sheriff is chasing him in the film), hence Doc's comment to Sheriff at the end of the chapter. Hoepfully that made up for some of the last update. I should probably stop ending chapters on cliffhangers, but then, it is fun. I'll think about that one.

Thanks to LightningAndDoc for reviewing the last few chapters.


	22. Chapter 21

**This chapter is dedicated to a much loved and missed cousin, who died December 2004. RIP Hugh.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars, I do however own Skye Armstrong, Matt, Jason Brooke, Ranger's Friend (who is nameless) and Hugh Carrera-McQueen. You may use them, but please ask me first! I don't bite. I do not own Ranger either. She belongs to Buick Regal Racecar 86 (I think that's the right username!), many thanks for letting me borrow her! Nor do I own Diagnosis Murder, where Community General Hospital can be found (as far as my knowledge goes at least)._

Wow, that was a long disclaimer! And now, on with the story!

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 21**

Lightning paced back and forth outside his room. He would pause every so often, but then his nerves got the better of him. Nearby, Sally's parents were watching him. They'd come to investigate when they heard Doc and Lightning arguing as they drove back to the room Lightning was sharing with Sally, and opted to stay with the red car as he waited for news.

"It'll be OK, buddy. Doc knows what he's doing." Strip attempted to reassure Lightning, but it was no use. He caught his wife's eye and grinned uncomfortably. He'd been the exact same when Lynda had been giving birth to Sally.

The attention of all three was drawn when Doc opened the door.

"OK, Rookie, you can come in now."

Lightning hesitated, casting a terrified look at the amused doctor.

"Don't worry, she's fine, and so is your son."

Lightning entered the room slowly, unsure of what to expect. Doc moved to the corner and began packing various medical supplies away, giving Lightning a reassuring smile as the younger car made his way over to Sally.

She lay beside a small pile of blankets, and as Lightning drew closer he realised there was a tiny car wrapped in the blankets. Sally silently lifted them up a little, revealing a sleeping silver-purple sports car. Lightning raised his eyes to Sally's.

"He's beautiful." He whispered, trying to avoid disturbing his sleeping son.

"We still have to name him."

Lightning studied the baby's features. "He looks like a Hugh to me."

"I like that. I was thinking of James."

"James Hugh?"

Sally considered it for a moment. "It doesn't really sound right. Neither does Hugh James, really." She looked at her son again. "What about Oliver?"

"That's a nice name." Lightning agreed. "Hugh Oliver?"

"Hugh Oliver. It suits him." Sally nodded.

"What about his surname though?"

"Carrera-McQueen." Sally replied with no hesitation. "It's the best we can do."

_For the moment_, Lightning added silently.

* * *

When morning came, Sheriff and Doc had a tricky decision to make. Both knew they needed to get the right medical attention for Sarge, but neither wanted to leave Sally, Lightning and their new son behind. In the end it was decided Doc, Sheriff and Matt would go on ahead with Fillmore and Sarge, leaving Sally and Hugh in Skye's care until Doc returned with Sheriff and Fillmore in a few days. Matt had arranged to take a break and visit his family for a week or two. The few days off would give most of them a change to rest up before the final drive into the city.

Doc made sure Sarge and Fillmore were both comfortable in the back of the trailer before they set off. He had chosen to drive along side for a while; the trailer could get quite stuffy after a few hours.

They set off well before the early spring sun had risen very high in the sky, but it was still late in the afternoon by the time they reached the city.

They visited many hospitals, but at each one Doc managed to find a problem that meant they were looking for another. Finally he allowed them to stop at one near the centre of the city, and let the doctors take Sarge from them. He, Matt and Fillmore all decided to stay and wait for news, but Sheriff didn't want to be hanging around for longer than he had to. He'd never been comfortable in hospitals, and it had been a severe problem for him shortly before arriving in Radiator Springs. It was the doctor before Doc, a certain Jason Brooke, that had helped him, along with all his friends. Although he knew Doc had some idea of how he felt about hospitals, he also knew the Hudson Hornet didn't know quite how bad it could get.

After driving for some time, Sheriff found himself on a coastal road. He quietly slipped off onto the sand; he hadn't been this close to the coast for quite a while. He stopped a safe distance from the waves and simply sat gazing at the sea. The sun was just about to sink below the horizon, and he found the sight pleasantly relaxing.

Voices from further down the beach caught his attention. Turning to look, he spotted two Jeeps getting closer. For a moment he thought one was Sarge, then his reasoning caught up with him. Sarge had been, and probably still was, pretty thoroughly out of it for most of a month; he wouldn't be driving along a beach yet. Sheriff decided these two Jeeps were female, and as they drew ever closer, he thought recognised one of them. They seemed to be arguing about something.

"You're more suited to helping him, you know. You've got the training for it."

"Maybe, but I can't help him."

"Why not? It's only amnesia … isn't it?"

"It looks like amnesia. I could help him to learn to live with it – "

"So why don't you then?"

"There are some things in my past that I would rather remain buried."

"Like what?"

"If I told you they wouldn't be buried."

"Oh come on, Ranger, you can trust me."

"Ranger?" Sheriff whispered. He remembered a Jeep called Ranger had spent some time in Radiator Springs. Nobody knew why she'd gone; they only knew she had gone when they woke up one morning and she wasn't there.

He turned to face the sea again. Ranger caught the movement and stopped. Nudging her friend, they turned and headed back the way they had come, leaving Sheriff wondering whom they were talking about.

* * *

As darkness fell, he thought he should head back to the hospital before Doc sent out a search party for him. Turning towards the road he spotted the silhouette of a Jeep on the promenade. He drove slowly across the sand, the car watching his every move until he stopped barely a metre away from her.

"Sheriff!" It was Ranger. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm with Doc, Fillmore and Sarge."

"What are they doing here?"

"Uh, specialist help for … for Sarge. He's sick." Sheriff muttered uncomfortably.

Ranger glanced sideways at him. "I hope he'll be OK."

"So do we all." Sheriff replied. "We don't know what happened to him. He went missing during a tornado, turned up out of the blue a few weeks ago."

"That tornado was on the news." Ranger hesitated. "Have you found Ramone yet?"

Sheriff stared at her. "How did you know he went missing too?"

"Um." Ranger cleared her throat awkwardly. "There's someone you need to see. Which hospital is Sarge at?"

"Uh, Community General."

"I'll meet you there in a couple of hours. Maybe you should bring Doc as well."

Sheriff continued to stare at her as she drove off. _Does she have information on Ramone or something? Maybe she knows where he is, or the car she's bringing with her later knows where we can find him?_

* * *

Doc looked out of the window in the hospital waiting room. Sheriff hadn't stayed long before disappearing into the city, and behind him Fillmore was dozing, his soft snores filling the otherwise quiet room.

The doctors had ordered several tests to be done on Sarge, half of which Doc had no idea what they were supposed to reveal. That was the last he heard from any of them.

Movement in the parking lot caught his eye. He recognised Sheriff as the police cruiser drove under one of the lamps. When it became clear Sheriff wasn't coming inside the building, Doc went down to join him. He cast a quick glance at the sleeping VW as he crept passed, but Fillmore showed no sign of waking.

He quickly found Sheriff in the car park. The police car seemed to be waiting for someone, which partly explained why he wasn't going inside the building.

"All right, Sheriff?"

Sheriff shrugged. "I guess."

"I know hospitals aren't your favourite place, especially since Elvira…"

"It's OK, Doc." Sheriff sighed quietly. "It was a long time ago."

"Time doesn't make it any easier."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sheriff spoke again.

"I met Ranger on the sea front. I think she might have some information on Ramone. She said she'd meet us here."

* * *

Ranger looked at the hospital nervously. She knew what she was doing, but seeing the Radiator Springs cars again would be difficult. None of them knew why she had gone; she wasn't always sure herself. Behind her was her friend, leading the car they had found roaming the city, with no idea who he was or where he was. Her friend had taken him in, and she had helped a little, but she wasn't so sure they could help him much longer.

She suddenly spotted Sheriff ahead of her, and the Hudson Hornet beside him. No doubt they would both have questions, probably ones to which she had no answers. She approached them slowly.

Doc saw the familiar Jeep heading towards them slowly, along with another Jeep behind her and what looked like a Chevrolet Impala. He caught Sheriff's eye uncertainly. The two Jeeps came to a stop a few metres away, one of them holding the Chevrolet back with a gentle tyre.

"We found him a couple of months back. He just … appeared. No idea who he was, where he was, why he was even there." Ranger explained in a low voice. "I don't know if he's Ramone or not. I haven't seen him for a long time. If he is Ramone, I don't know if he'll know you or not. He doesn't recognise me."

Ranger moved back, allowing the second Jeep and the Impala to come forwards.

"Ramone?" Sheriff spoke hesitantly.

The Chevrolet certainly looked like their friend the last time they had seen him, but he could still be a completely different car. When the car looked at him, there was a faint flicker of recognition in his eyes, but it was clear he didn't remember the police car. His eyes turned to Doc. Again there was recognition, but no sign of knowing.

"I think he's Ramone." Sheriff nodded. "But until his memory comes back, we won't know for sure."

Doc remained silent. He was studying the Chevrolet closely. At first he couldn't see any reason why he wouldn't remember anything, but then the car moved slightly and he spotted a long dent in one side of him.

As the Jeep and Chevrolet turned to leave, Ranger hung back.

"Would you come back tomorrow?" Doc found his voice. "There are a few things we need to discuss."

Ranger nodded. "I'll meet you here at ten thirty."

* * *

**Author's Note:** For anyone that recognised it, there is a reference to Diagnosis Murder in this chapter. I have no idea what the hospitals are called, or which streets they're on, in the USA, so I borrowed the only one I could think of at the time. I guess it's a mini-crossover, but that's as crossed as it gets.

Many thanks to LightningAndDoc for reviewing the last chapter as always.


	23. Chapter 22

**Author's Note:** There's only going to be single chapter updates for a while, as I'm struggling a little with some of the editing.

Thanks to LightningAndDoc for the wonderful reviews (they're valuable, no matter how much you think they suck).

_Disclaimer: I don't own Cars, I do however own Elvira Burnell, Skye Armstrong and Hugh Carrera-McQueen. Please ask me if you want to use them. I won't bite. I do not own Ranger either, she belongs to Buick Regal Racecar 86 (though she may be going under the number 56 now. I can't remember exactly)._

_

* * *

_

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 22**

Doc stayed with Sheriff as the trio disappeared into the night. As the darkness swallowed them Doc turned to go back into the warmth. Sheriff hesitated. He really couldn't relax around hospitals.

"I'm fairly sure that was Ramone." Doc said as Sheriff slowly followed him into the bright artificial light. "There's a dent in his side. Could be why he's not able to remember much."

_Sheriff pulled up inside the hospital quickly. Behind him an ambulance pulled in with sirens and lights blaring. He hurried up to the desk, not waiting for the young nurse behind to look up at him._

"_Elvira Burnell. My wife. Where is she?"_

"_She's been taken into surgery. If you'll wait over there, I'll have someone bring you news as soon as there is any."_

"_She's my wife!" Sheriff protested._

"_And this is hospital policy. Now if you will excuse me, we're very busy." The white car disappeared through the double doors at the end of the corridor._

_Sheriff cursed under his breath, turning to go into the waiting room and finding a spot away from the other cars. There he sat and watched the hands of the clock slowly ticking. As each minute passed he grew restless with dear for his wife and nervousness of being in the hospital. Cars came and went, but none paid any attention to him. From time to time a doctor would appear in the room, but they always spoke to others in there, and still there was no news of Elvira._

_Three long hours after he'd arrived, one of the doctors approached him. She was a pretty little car, with beautiful light blue eyes, but Sheriff didn't notice any of it. All he noticed was the grave expression on her face._

"_Sheriff Burnell?"_

"_Yes?"_

"_I'm afraid I have some bad news."_

"_Elvira …"_

"_Your wife – she died about ten minutes ago. We did everything we could."_

"_I understand." Sheriff whispered. "I want to see her."_

"Sheriff?" Doc sounded somewhat distant, but it was enough to bring the police car back to reality.

"I'm sorry, Doc. I can't do this." Sheriff gasped, and drove back out into the night.

Doc watched him go. He hadn't seen the police car so distressed in a long time, but then he'd never seen him around a proper hospital before.

* * *

Two days later, the rest of the cars from Radiator Springs arrived. Doc had asked Matt to go back for Sally and Hugh, which he was only too happy to do, as he was reluctant to leave without any news on Sarge, and Sheriff had disappeared. Something told him the Mercury Cruiser was still in the city somewhere, but finding him would be a challenge. Doc had met up with Ranger a couple of times in Sheriff's absence to discuss Ramone. It seemed he recognised some things, but not others, and it quickly became clear that his memory loss affected memories from well before the tornado. She had also informed Doc that the Impala had not said a word since she found him wandering the streets.

When Doc had phoned Skye and the others via the trailer phone, he didn't say anything about Ramone. He felt it was better for Ranger to tell them face-to-face, but when he mentioned it she became rather cold towards him, and he hadn't seen her since.

As his friends arrived in the car park, Doc subconsciously looked for his daughter among them. She was in the middle of the group with Sally (who had just emerged from the trailer with Hugh in tow), Lightning and Lynda. Strip had once again led the group, with Mack bringing up the rear. There was something about the way Skye drove that made Doc realise something was bothering her.

"Doc, how's Sarge?" Flo greeted him.

"He's still unconscious. They can't explain why. They said there's no medical reason why he's in a coma, or why he's not showing any signs of waking up. Fillmore's been sitting with him a lot."

"What about you and Sheriff?"

"I've spent some time with him, but Sheriff … I haven't seen too much of him. He doesn't like hospitals."

Flo nodded. She was one of the few that knew how Sheriff felt about hospitals.

* * *

Doc looked around the hotel lobby, making a mental note of the cars as his eyes passed over each one. Mack was outside with Matt, and Fillmore had gone on ahead to the hospital to sit with Sarge for a while. Lizzie had decided to stay behind at the hotel, as had Sally with Hugh. Lighting, Strip and Lynda were all heading out to the racetrack for a few hours, and the rest planned to explore the city. He was hoping to join Fillmore.

"Has anyone seen Skye?" He realised one of the group was missing.

She had been a little too quiet over breakfast, a sure sign that something was bothering her. The last time he had seen her like that was just after she'd arrived in the town.

"You could try the beach." Flo suggested. "I've seen her heading out that way a few times."

"Thanks." Doc shot a grateful look at the show car. "Enjoy your day, you lot." He said, and headed out into the early morning sunlight.

It only took Doc a few minutes to reach the beach. He had been down there a few times before, looking for Sheriff, though the Mercury had eluded him every time so far. He scanned the shoreline from the road, but didn't spot a familiar silver Daewoo. He drove slowly along the promenade, searching among the families that were gathered on the sand already. He remembered the secluded cove a little further up the beach that he'd found the last time he was there. The only way to access it was through a shallow channel that cut through the cliffs. He drove down to it, and inched along the channel carefully, not wanting to hit the jagged rocks on either side.

He spotted his daughter the moment he emerged into the sunlight at the other end. She was staring at the blue expanse beyond. He approached her slowly, giving her time to notice him.

"Skye?"

She glanced at him briefly before her gaze returned to the sea.

"Want to talk?"

"About what?"

"Well, why don't we start with whatever's on your mind?"

Skye sighed softly. "It's nothing."

"I can see something on your mind, sweetheart. Talking might help."

The gentle, caring expression on her father's face made her cave in.

"I was just thinking about Mum. Being back here…reminded me of her."

"What happened to her wasn't your fault, Skye."

"I know, but it doesn't make me miss her any less." Skye looked at the sand beneath her tyres. "Why did you take me in after I was so horrible to you? Why didn't you just turn me away as soon as I was better?"

Doc looked directly at his unhappy daughter as he spoke. "I couldn't leave you after all I'd been through keeping you alive, and anyway, you needed me. We needed each other. You showed me what it was like to live again. You helped me to feel young again." Doc smiled softly at the young car.

Skye shuffled closer to her father and leaned against his side. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, sweetheart."

* * *

**Author's Note:** After the rotten day I've just had, that ending seems to totally suck, yet when I wrote it I quite liked it.

Anyway, as I said above, you'll be getting one-chapter updates for a while, due to lack of time for writing and struggling when I do settle down to write. I'm planning to have this one, and Holding On (the next story in the series) completed by the start of November so I can concentrate on NaNoWriMo and not have to worry about updating.


	24. Chapter 23

**Author's Note:** Apologies for the delay in the updates. I've had some trouble with later chapters, though after a sprint last night, I've now finished writing this story. All I need to do now is upload the chapters and post them! More good news; you'll be getting a multiple chapter update today.

I realise in the last chapter I forgot to mention something, or rather, at the end of the last chapter. The flashback scene, with Sheriff waiting for news on his wife at the hospital, is taken directly from Stay The Same, which explains some of the story behind his fear of hospitals.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars, or Ranger. I do however own Skye Armstrong and Hugh Carrera-McQueen. Ranger belongs to Buick Regal Racecar 56._

Thanks to LightningAndDoc and Buick Regal Racecar 56 for reviwieng the last chapter.

**Warning:** Fluffy chapter ahead. Tissues might be needed, if you're a sucker for romance.

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 23**

Fillmore sat beside the unconscious Jeep in silence. He had no idea how long he'd been watching his friend; the hours had all merged into one another. There had been an unexpected visitor earlier in the day, not that Sarge was awake to see her. Fillmore hadn't seen Ranger for years, and was surprised when she turned up outside the door to Sarge's room. The two Jeeps were quite good friends for a time.

"Ranger was here." He spoke softly, discarding his usual way of talking. "She still cares about you."

The only answer he received was the beeping of the machines.

"Sally and Lightning have got a little boy. He's pretty cute. I think you'd like him. Oh, and one of Ranger's friends is looking after Ramone. He came through the tornado in one piece, though he can't remember anything." Fillmore looked out the window at the parking lot below. Doc was sitting with Skye. It looked like they were talking about something. "I reckon we'll be able to help him between us. You'd be able to help so much if you were awake." Fillmore sighed. "Do you remember when Doc first arrived in Radiator Springs? He was so nervous. We were arguing about my Organic Fuel because you though I'd given some to Mater." Tears appeared in the hippy's eyes as the memories came to him. "You helped Doc a lot when he wanted to let go. He's been helping you too, even if you're not aware of it."

* * *

Sheriff approached the hospital nervously. It was the first time he'd been back in almost a week, and it wasn't proving easy. He'd stayed away as long as he could, but thoughts of his friends had persuaded him to return. He knew he was likely to find one of his friends near the hospital; Fillmore was bound to be sitting by Sarge's side as always, but he hoped he wouldn't have to go in to find him. He was relieved to find Doc and Skye talking in the parking lot; it meant he wouldn't have to go inside , and he could escape quickly as well.

Doc looked over at the police car as he came closer. With Skye huddled against his side, he couldn't go to his friend, but even so he knew Sheriff would join him.

"Welcome back." He said softly, gaining a nervous smile from the cruiser.

* * *

Lightning sped around the track happily. It had been too long since he'd driven like this on asphalt, and it felt good to work out the kinks that had developed recently. In the pits Strip watched him and gave him tips every so often, things like 'let yourself drift around the corners more' and 'you can afford to brake later at that turn'. After close to a hundred good laps, Strip decided he'd been at it long enough and brought Lightning in. The qualifying race would be taking place in only a couple of weeks.

"I think you'll be able to qualify, but it does depend on the other cars that turn up. Mind you, I think you're ready for it."

"Thanks, Strip."

"Just promise me you'll be careful when you're racing out there, Lightning. I don't want my daughter to be left to bring up Hugh alone."

"Neither do I." Lightning assured the older car. "Actually, there is something I want to ask you, regarding Sally, though I suppose I should ask you and Mrs Weathers at the same time."

"Lightning, if it's what I think it is, I'm fine with it. Sally loves you a lot, and I can see that you love her just as much. Just take care of her, and don't hurt her if you can avoid it."

"Thanks, Strip."

Strip stopped and turned to look straight at Lightning. "I know you'll take good care of my daughter and grandson."

* * *

Sally looked at Lightning as they headed down to the dining room at the hotel. Hugh was sleeping in their room with Lizzie keeping an eye on him. Strip and Lynda met them at the door, and they found a table together. Sally knew something was going on between Lightning and her parents, as though they shared a secret of some sort. Whatever it was, it was making Lightning nervous.

Dinner was almost over by the time Lightning managed to pluck up the courage to ask Sally the question that had been on his mind for some time. He'd fetched the small item he'd bought in England from their room earlier, and knew he wanted his friends to be there when he asked her. Now it was only the Radiator Springs cars in the room. He looked over at the table where Doc and Sheriff sat – both were in on the plan and had been inconspicuously glancing at him every so often, waiting for the signal. As Doc caught his eye, he gave a slight nod and slowly silence fell upon the room, all eyes turning to Lightning, who had moved to sit in front of Sally. He cleared his throat awkwardly before speaking and fished the box from beside his seat.

"Sally, I've loved you since the first time I saw you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side." He cleared his throat again as his voice cracked. "Will you marry me?" He passed the box to her.

_Wow, I wasn't expecting that!_ Sally was suddenly speechless as Lightning proposed. She took the box with a shaking tyre and opened it slowly. Her breath caught when she saw the beautiful badge and accompanying message.

_Just in case I can't get the words out … Sally, I love you with all my heart. You mean everything to me. I want to spend the rest of my life by your side. From the moment I saw you I knew I loved you, even if I didn't show you in the right way to begin with. Will you do me the honour of being my wife?_

"It's beautiful!" She gasped, turning her shining eyes on him. "Yes, Stickers, I'd love to be your wife."

A great cheer rose from their friends; Lightning blushed, a broad grin on his face.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Fluffy enough for you? I sure hope so, as the next chapter is going to be a tad on the depressing side.

Another chapter coming up shortly.


	25. Chapter 24

**Author's Note:** As I said in my author's note at the end of the last chapter, this one is on the depressing side for one of the characters, which means there's going to be a reappearance of a certain dark green Chrysler...

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars, I do however own Skye Armstrong and Jason Brooke. Ranger belongs to Buick Regal Racecar 56._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 24**

Flo watched Lightning and Sally with tears in her eyes. She had met Ranger in the city earlier, and found out about Ramone. She missed him a lot, and it hurt to find out he didn't remember her. She glanced around at the others; none of them were looking in her direction, so she silently slipped from the room and out into the street.

Skye watched Flo leaving from the corner of her eye. She could see the turmoil of emotions coming from her without even seeing her face. Sadness tugged at her heart, she longed to help, but her mind was at a blank as to how to begin. She turned to her father, catching his eye as she indicated to the door. He nodded once, communicating to her with his eyes. _I'll follow in a minute_, they seemed to say.

* * *

Flo perched on the edge of the beach road. She hadn't come to this place deliberately, more driven without knowing directly where she was headed. Something had pulled her onwards, but she didn't know what it was. Now she stared at the fading sunlight on the water.

"Flo?" A gentle voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hello, Doc." Her voice sounded flat, but that was how she was feeling.

"I guess you know about Ramone, judging by your rapid exit back there."

"I know I should be happy for Lightning and Sally …"

"But you're afraid you can never share the same happiness with Ramone again." There seemed to be something understanding in his words. "We should be able to help Ramone. Maybe he won't get his memories back, but we can help him pick things up again. We just have to give it a little time."

_Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along_

_Tell me who wants to look back on their years_

_And wonder where those years have gone_

"I know you'll do your best, Doc." Flo drove away without looking back.

Doc just watched her go. He knew she could cope better than most with a lot of things, but this was one thing he knew she would struggle with. _Oh Alisa, I need you right now, _he thought, heading back to the hotel alone. Flo would be back when she was ready to face it.

* * *

Flo drove out of the city, back towards Radiator Springs. She didn't really know where she was going, but she longed to be somewhere where there were no other cars.

_And I don't want the world to see me_

_Cause I don't think that they'd understand_

_When everything's made to be broken_

_I just want you to know who I am._

"Why did this have to happen." She whispered as desperate tears overflowed. "What happened to the Ramone I married?"

_And all I can taste is this moment_

_And I can breathe is your life_

_Cause sooner or later it's over_

_I just don't want to miss you tonight_

Flo took the first exit she came across, almost blinded by the tears running down her hood. As she came to an old building she was forced to pull up at the side of the road. She couldn't go on any longer without risking hurting herself or someone else. She gave in the grief, unable to fight it any longer.

"Miss?" A quiet voice reached her.

She looked up at the dark green Chrysler sitting in front of her. He seemed quite old, though not as old as Lizzie.

"Why don't you come inside? It's much warmer." He indicated to the building.

Flo followed him slowly. She couldn't help trusting him; she had a feeling she'd met him before somewhere, though she couldn't quite work out where, or when.

The Chrysler handed her a can of something as she stopped just inside the door. "Drink, you'll feel better." His voice stayed soft and caring.

*******

Jason watched the show car closely. He could tell she didn't quite recognise him, but he couldn't blame her; she clearly had other things on her mind. She seemed to deep in her despair that he wondered if it would be possible to bring her back, but he had to try, just as he had with Doc and Sheriff.

"He still loves you."

Flo looked up at him, surprise etched on her face. "What are you talking about?"

"Ramone. He still loves you."

Her eyes widened as fresh tears shone in her eyes. "Oh, Chrysler." She muttered. "I didn't realise it was you, Jason."

"I spent enough time in Radiator Springs to know he loves you. The sort of love that doesn't die."

"He hasn't left me … at least, not like that. He … he got hurt in a storm … he doesn't remember us … or me."

"It doesn't mean he doesn't love you any more." The Chrysler kept his steady gaze on her. "He will know he loves you, even if he doesn't remember who you are."

Flo turned to look out the window at the darkening sky. "But what if he doesn't? I don't want to lose him! It's bad enough already. I can't lose him …" Her voice trailed off as fresh sobs took over.

Jason moved to her side, letting her lean on him as she cried.

* * *

"Thank you." Doc replaced the phone on its base and turned to his daughter and Sheriff, both of whom were waiting for him to speak. "Flo's with Jason. It seems he found her a few miles out of town. She's rather upset. I think it's best that she stays with him for a while. He knows to help her."

Sheriff nodded silently. He knew exactly what Doc was referring to; her had witnessed it after all. It was many years ago, but both cars remembered the events following Doc's arrival in the town clearly.

*******

As Doc was getting ready to settle down for the night, he cast his mind back over the memories he had of Jason Brooke. If it hadn't been for that caring car, he probably wouldn't have met his friends; he certainly wouldn't be with them now. Things had changed a lot since meeting the Chrysler, a lot of them for the better. If there was anyone who could help Flo, it was Jason Brooke.

_I was an island, desperate and barren, praying for someone to save me_

_Felt like an ocean, drowning alone, searching for hope you once gave me_

_So what are we made of, what keeps us strong_

_It's your love that carries me home._

_I wanted to let go and give up the fight, tell my heart it can stop beating_

_You gave me a reason to believe in myself, just when I'd given up dreaming._

_Just when I'd given up dreaming, you are my lifeline, willing and able_

_To guide me through every season, your heart is a beacon shining so bright_

_It's your love that I follow home_

_So what are we made of, the answer is in, your whisper that hangs in the wind_

_I wanted to let go and give up the fight, tell my heard it can stop beating_

_You gave me a reason to believe in myself, just when I'd given up dreaming._

* * *

**Author's Note:** I use three songs of Ronan Keating's in this chapter, though I know one of them is a cover. The songs in order are I Hope You Dance, Iris, and Just When I'd Given Up Dreaming. They seemed to suit this chapter very well.

If you're wondering what happened around the time Doc arrived in Radiator Springs (in my version of events at least), A Hidden Past explains it.


	26. Chapter 25

**Author's Note:** Weirdness ahead.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars, or Ranger. Ranger belongs to Buick Regal Racecar 56. I do however own Skye Armstrong, Alisa Armstrong and Hugh Carrera-McQueen._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 25**

_She awoke to a cold, wet world, much different from the one in which she had gone to sleep. She seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a storm. The rain was blown into her face, and forced her to narrow her eyes against the stinging wetness. Peering through the sheets of water, she spotted what seemed to be a pair of distant headlights and realised there was another vehicle out there besides her. She hurried towards the car, glad to have some company._

"_Hello!" She called over the wind as she drove, hoping the other vehicle would hear her and wait for her to catch up._

_She was almost upon the car when she found she recognised it. The form was blurred in the downpour, but there was no way she could mistake the orange-brown colour and Jeep-like shape for anyone else._

"_Mama!" She cried. "Mama, it's me! I've come!"_

_Alisa appeared not to hear her, even at that close range._

"_Mama, please."_

_The older car peered around at her surroundings; her gaze slipped straight over her cold, scared daughter as though she wasn't there. Skye looked around as well, seeing more headlights in the distance. Her eyes went wide when she realised what was about to happen._

"_Mama, get out of here, please! You have to go!"_

_Alisa was squinting at the lights, rolling slowly towards them._

"_No! Get away, go! It's not safe. Please, Mama!" Skye begged, tears running down her hood and mingling with the rain already there._

_In the end she could only watch with horror as the events unfolded before her, with her powerless to stop them._

"_No! Mama!"_

"What the – " Sheriff was startled from his sleep by a loud cry from nearby. He looked across at his companion; amazed Doc had managed to sleep through it. "Doc." He nudged the sleeping Hornet with a tyre. "Wake up, Doc."

"Sheriff?" The ex-racer blinked blearily. "What's going on?" He yawned widely.

Another cry, though quieter than the first, made both cars jump. Sheriff's eyes were wide and fearful, not a common thing for the police car.

"Skye." Doc muttered, and shot out the door into the corridor beyond.

Sheriff caught up with him as he was knocking loudly on the door to Skye's room.

"Skye, sweetheart?" Doc opened the door cautiously.

"Daddy?" A small, frightened voice came from the corner of the room, where a small, silver vehicle was watching them. She was shaking violently as tears rolled freely down her hood.

"It's OK, Skye, I'm here." Doc moved to his daughter, hoping to offer her some comfort from whatever had upset her. She pressed herself against his side as he shot a look at Sheriff, who was hovering in the doorway.

Sheriff recognised the expression on Doc's face clearly; he'd seen it before. He nodded and backed out, pulling the door closed after him.

"Sheriff?" Sally emerged from her room down the corridor. "What's going on? I heard someone shout."

"It's nothing, Sally." He didn't look at her, afraid his eyes would give something away. "You just get back to bed. It's all under control."

* * *

Doc stayed by his daughter's side for the rest of the night, though neither one got much more sleep. Sheriff looked in on them once towards daybreak, but he hadn't stayed for long. Now Doc watched the sunlight creeping in to the room while Skye slept peacefully for the first time that night. They were yet to talk about what had disturbed her so much in the early hours. Even when she had calmed down with his presence, he could still see whatever it was bothering her.

"Daddy?"

Doc turned to a pair of hazel eyes watching him. He smiled softly at his daughter.

"Dad … about last night … thanks."

"What happened?"

"I-It was just a bad dream. A – a nightmare."

"What did you see?"

"I … I was in a storm. I don't know where, I didn't recognise it. Mama was there." Skye spoke hesitantly.

Doc knew she still struggled to talk about her mother.

"She didn't hear me calling her. This group of cars drove over to us." She broke off.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Doc sat next to her, the gentle contact seemed to give her the strength she needed.

"They started attacking her. She tried to fight them off, but there were too many of them. Oh Mama!"

"It's OK, Skye." Doc tried to comfort her as tears began to run down her hood again. He couldn't help worrying about her when she got upset or worked up; her health had been severely affected some years ago, when she was fighting off the infection resulting from a crash.

* * *

Lightning looked up at the closed curtains curiously. He hadn't heard anything during the night, no doubt worn out after a long day of training, but Sally had told him something was going on. Clearly that something involved Doc and Skye, as the curtains in both their rooms were still closed.

"Sheriff – " Lightning began as the old police car drove passed.

"I can't tell you anything, son. I don't know much myself."

"What do you know?"

"Uh – " Sheriff looked uncertainly at him, trying to figure out if he could give Lightning what little he knew.

"Stop bothering him, Stickers. We'll find out what's going on soon enough." Sally called over to him from where she and Lizzie were entertaining little Hugh.

Sheriff shot her a grateful glance.

"You know you want to know just as much as me, Sal." Lightning replied as he joined his family.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thanks to LightningAndDoc for reviewing the last couple of chapters. There'll be another one after this, and that will most likely be it for this update. I think I'll be able to update again around Wednesday or Thursday, and depending on how much I get written, the sequel to this story (Holding On).


	27. Chapter 26

**Author's Note:** I know zilch about NASCAR, so I based the qualifying thing on Formula 1, which I know a little more about, though that knowledge is still minimal.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. I only own Hugh Carrera-McQueen and Skye Armstrong._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 26**

Skye sat quietly in the pit lane beside her father and the rest of the Radiator Springs team. Doc had talked her into joining him for the day, claiming the change of scene might do her some good, or at least take her mind off the nightmare. But try as she might, she just couldn't forget about her mother and what she'd seen. She knew Alisa had been attacked and left for dead, but seeing what could have happened somehow made it worse.

The nightmare, the first some nights ago now, had returned each and every night since, almost the moment she fell asleep. She'd had little sleep because of the unsettling images, and Doc spent every night with her; she was always calmer with him nearby.

"You're doing a good job, kid."

Doc's voice brought her back to the racetrack as he gave Lightning some encouragement. It was qualifying day for the new race season, and with only forty-three places available, all the racers were trying their hardest to make the top spots.

A bell rang in the pit lane signalling the end of another session. In ten minutes another session would start, but the slowest fifteen from the last would not be taking part. When they were down to the right number of racers, grid places would be determined for the first race.

"OK, kid, time to come in." Doc said to Lightning over the team radio.

A little over a minute later Lightning appeared in the pit lane. He pulled up beside his friends with a grin on his face.

"Looks like your training is paying off." Doc commented as Strip went to get the results of the session.

The recently retired racer had quickly become a part of the team, always ready to step in and take over if Doc was unable to be crew chief for some reason.

As Lightning waited for Strip's return, he looked around at his friends, glad they were all there with him, minus Sarge, Fillmore and Lizzie. Flo had returned a few days ago, bringing Jason with her. The two were sitting at the back of the group talking quietly. He could see Sally and Lynda having a hard time keeping little Hugh occupied. The youngster liked to be doing something all the time he wasn't sleeping or eating, the result of which was very tired parents. He drove over to join them, being greeted enthusiastically by Hugh in the process.

"We're going to take him down to the beach in a few minutes." Sally said. "He's got too much energy to hang around here. I don't want him getting onto the track and getting hurt."

* * *

Doc drove off the crew chief podium and settled beside his daughter. She'd been very quiet lately, and he didn't like it.

"I'm OK, Daddy." She said before he could speak, leaning lightly against his side.

"You will tell me if something is bothering you, won't you?"

"I promise, Daddy."

"You're a good girl, Skye. I'd hate to see anything happen to you."

Skye blinked and leaned against him a little harder. She knew how he worried when she was ill, and with good reason, she recalled.

A bell rang nearby, telling them the next session of qualifying had begun. Strip returned in that moment as Doc returned to his podium overlooking the track.

"Kid got through. If he keeps up his current pace, he'll make fifth beside Junior." Strip said to Doc.

*******

Strip found himself watching Chick as the number of races n the track got smaller. When the green car had been in Radiator Springs, he'd shown a side that none of them knew he possessed. There was none of that visible now, though he was holding off his usual tricks. Strip found he was curious about his ex-rival, wondering what he was like off the track when he wasn't caught up in a crisis. He didn't suppose they would find out any time soon.

* * *

It was a mostly joyous group that returned to the hotel that evening; Lightning had eventually secured fourth place on the starting grid. Flo and Jason both joined in with the celebrations, leaving Skye following the group miserably. She knew she should feel happy for the racing team, but the encroaching night left her dreading sleep, lest the nightmare return yet again. Even having her father by her side wasn't helping much.

She left them just as they reached the hotel, turning her back on the building and heading for the beach, desperate for some time alone.

* * *

Doc spent the night pacing in Skye's room, waiting anxiously for his daughter to return. He knew it wouldn't have been so bad if he knew where she was, but he didn't know, and he couldn't be sure she wasn't injured and waiting alone for someone to rescue her. He knew he would find no rest until she came back, safe and well as she could be.

The moment he entered the dining room in the morning, he knew she hadn't been there at all. He caught Sheriff's gaze as he stopped beside his oldest friends.

"I have to find her. She needs me right now."

"Jason and I can keep an eye on things here until you get back." Sheriff reassured him.

"Go and find your daughter." Jason agreed with Sheriff.

Something pulled Doc towards the beach, yet when he arrived it was deserted. The waves crashed against the pale sand as the wind whipped the water into peaks. He remembered about an old, concealed cove he'd found the last time he'd been there looking for Sheriff, and made his way towards it. The narrow fissure in the rocks was just wide enough for him to drive along without scrapping his sides on it, provided he was careful. He found a small stream of water in the bottom of the channel that sloshed around his wheels as he inched into the cove.

"Skye?" His voice echoed off the uneven walls.

A small, silver shape emerged from the cave in the far wall. Her eyes were haunted with pain, her pretty face scared and depressed.

"I was so worried." He drove over to her, looking over her carefully for any injuries she might have received overnight; it had always been a fear at the back of his mind – that she would become badly injured again, and he wouldn't be able to save her. "Have you been here all night?" The concern and worry showed in his voice.

The expression on her face told him all he needed to know.

"Oh, sweetheart."

Skye pressed herself against her father's side, sniffing quietly. "I miss her so much." She whispered. "I don't want this nightmare any more."

"It's all right, Skye, it'll be OK."

"Every time I close my eyes, I see mama being attacked." Skye sobbed. "I just want it to end!"

_When you feel alone and lost, just remember I'll be there_

_I'll guide you through the darkness, and I'll bring you back to happiness_

_Just remember I'm always there, even when you can't see me_

_I'm there, waiting for you to call my name_

_I'll answer, because I'm always there_

_When you want someone to talk to, just remember I'm there, listening your voice_

_I'll help you through your troubles, I'll be your friend through it all_

_Just remember I'm always there, even when you can't see me_

_I'm there, waiting for you to call my name_

_I'll answer, because I'm always there_

* * *

**Author's Note:** The song at the end of this chapter was written by me some time ago. I can't even remember why I wrote it. I think it was for a different story, except it never got used. I think it's the second verse, chorus, third verse and chorus again.


	28. Chapter 27

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. Ranger belongs to Buick Regal Racecar 56. I own Skye Armstrong and Jason Brooke._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 27**

Jason watched Flo with their friends from a short distance. He knew she was suffering beneath her brave face, and wanted to all he could to help her. The drive back to the city hadn't been easy for her, and many times she'd just stopped in the road, not sure she was ready to go back and face what was waiting for her. He had often thought what it might feel like if the car he loved suddenly couldn't remember him, trying to figure out exactly what was going through Flo's mind. Just thinking about it was painful, but to actually experience it … he could only imagine how much worse that would be.

"I think we should try to get Ramone talking first." Doc thought out loud beside him.

The group had gone to the beach for the day, taking time out from training and sitting with Sarge. Hugh was having a wonderful time exploring the area, though Sally and Lightning were never far behind.

"I guess he might be able to give us a few answers, at least some idea of how badly the amnesia is affecting him." The younger doctor continued, barely aware of Jason's lacking attention.

"Do you know what happened to him?"

Doc sighed. "I haven't given it much thought. My mind has been on so many other things lately. He's got a nasty dent down one side, but I haven't thought about what might have caused it."

"You're worried about Skye?" That got Jason's full attention. He couldn't deny the Hornet was just as distracted.

"It's all I can to persuade her to turn the light off at night, let alone go to sleep. She's pretty cut up over the nightmares. Good reason too, I guess."

"Want me to talk to her?"

"I don't want to push her. I don't want to risk losing her."

Jason looked at the Hornet. "I helped you, didn't I?"

Doc didn't reply. His gaze shifted to his daughter, sitting alone in the middle of the beach, watching the others having a good time. A stray tear escaped, leaving a wet spot of sand by Doc's tyre.

* * *

Fillmore glanced sideways at Ranger as they sat side by side in an awkward silence in Sarge's room. Ranger had turned up unexpectedly almost an hour ago, having taken Ramone to the hotel on her way to the hospital. He understood Doc and Jason were trying to determine the severity of his amnesia.

"I can leave you alone with him if you want." His voice sounded unnaturally loud in the small room.

"No, it's OK. At least we're both here." Ranger thought she'd be even more tongue-tied if she was left alone with the unconscious Jeep.

The pair lapsed into silence again for some time before Ranger voiced a question that had been on her mind since she had first decided to visit her old friend.

"Do they know what's wrong with him?"

"They've done loads of tests, but I don't think they've come up with anything."

"Anything about him waking up?"

"Not really, just something about the longer he's out of it, the less likely it is he'll wake up at all."

"How long has been unconscious?"

"'Bout a month."

"There's still hope then." Ranger wasn't sure if she was trying to reassure herself or Fillmore.

As she watched Sarge's still figure she thought back to the time she had lived in Radiator Springs. She remembered Sarge raising his flag every morning to Reveille, and Fillmore joining in with Star Spangled Banner. An idea came to her in that moment.

"Did Sarge have a recording of Reveille?" She turned to Fillmore.

"Probably."

"And do you have a recording of Star Spangled Banner?"

"Yeah, man." Fillmore looked blankly back at her for a moment before comprehension dawned on his face. "I'd have to go back to get everything."

"Thanks, Fillmore." Ranger smiled at him, hoping her idea would help bring Sarge back to them.

* * *

Doc drove along the beach road slowly. Skye was back at the hotel, along with the rest of the townsfolk. He had left them mid-afternoon, longing for some time along for some serious thinking. He found himself at the beach without being aware of making his way there, and crept into the small, very well hidden cove where he could finally get some peace.

He never noticed how low the sun was getting in the sky in the hours he was there. For the first two hours he'd paced back and forth from one side of the cove to the other, his thoughts running over and over in his head, but no answers for his questions. His frustration grew rapidly as he went over the problems. He didn't normally have trouble finding answers when he needed them. Finally he stopped and let his eyes rest on the darkening sky above.

"You're troubled." A gentle voice disturbed the peace.

"Way to point out the obvious." Doc muttered, keeping his back to the car that had found him.

"Patience, my friend."

"I don't know what to do. Help me, please." He begged.

"The answers will come."

"Just tell me what to do, please!" Doc rounded on the car. "No more bloody cryptic advice, just give it to me straight!"

"I know you're angry, but you don't need to take it out on me." Jason gave Doc a piercing look. "I'm just trying to help you."

"You're not doing a very good job of it." Doc snapped.

"I can't help you when I don't know what's bothering you. All I can say is trust your friends. Try turning to them in your time of need. You've run away from them before, and they've followed you."

"I was trying to forget about that." Doc turned and drove off.

* * *

Night had fallen long ago, and most of his friends had gone to bed, but Doc was still awake. He sat in the lounge, his mind even more active now than it had been at the beach. He looked out the window, wishing he hadn't been so short with his oldest friend earlier. Jason had at least tried to help him, given him some good advice. He sighed heavily and headed for the door. Perhaps a little fresh air might clear his mind. He was so preoccupied he never noticed the dark car approaching him.

"Doc?" A concerned voice came from behind him.

He turned slowly, meeting the level gaze of Jason Brooke.

"I thought you'd be in bed by now. It's getting late." The Chrysler drew up beside Doc.

"I want to help them all, but I don't know how. I don't know where to begin."

"You can start by opening their eyes to another in need. They've pulled together before, they can do it again." Jason said softly. "I'd recommend you get to bed soon. You look pretty tired, and lack of sleep won't help Skye, Ramone or Sarge."

"Yeah, I know." Doc muttered, turning towards the building.

"Hang in there, Doc. It'll work out." Jason called as the younger doctor headed back inside. The last time he'd seen the Hornet looking so desperate and alone had been almost half an century ago.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I can't help feeling Jason's a bit OOC in this one. It was either use Jason or some totally random creation that only appears this once. I thought Jason might be better for the job, but now I'm not so sure.

Thanks to LightningAndDoc for reviewing the last chapter. Only reason why I didn't answer it is because I can't think of anything to say!

Not many chapters left now *sniff*.


	29. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: See chapter 27.

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 28**

Doc spent the night watching his daughter sleeping peacefully from a corner of her room. For once she slept the whole night through, something Doc longed to do, but knew he wouldn't manage for some time.

As dawn approached, and light began to find its way into the room, Doc headed for the parking lot once more. There he sat and watched the cars around him as they woke and began to prepare for a new day. By the time he joined his friends for breakfast almost two hours later, he knew what he had to do.

He sat with Skye, Sheriff and Jason, but said nothing until they had all finished eating. He realised they knew something was different; they kept glancing at him throughout the meal, but he pretended not to notice.

"There's, uh, something I've got to tell you." Doc began, feeling uncomfortable.

"You're leaving us for a few days?" Jason guessed.

"I am." Doc nodded. "I don't know when I'll be back, but I don't plan to be gone long." He couldn't meet Skye's eye. He couldn't bear to see the confusion and pain in them.

"Why, Daddy? Is it because of me?"

"No, sweetheart, it's not because of you. There's something I must do."

"Please, don't go. We need you here." Skye begged. _I need you._

"I'm sorry, Skye, but I have to go. It's not for long, and I _will_ be coming back." Doc wiped the tears off her hood caringly. "Be strong for me."

"Can't I come with you?"

"Not this time."

"I can stay on for a bit longer." Jason supported Doc's decision; he had a feeling he knew what the ex-racer was doing.

Sheriff hurried after the blue car as he drove from the building.

"Doc!" He called, hoping the Hornet would let him catch up.

Doc heard Sheriff calling his name and stopped to see what his friend wanted.

"Take care."

Doc nodded, glancing back at the hotel. "Keep and eye on Skye for me, please? It's only for a few days, but I can't help worrying."

"Of course. I hope what you're doing will help."

"So do I." Doc sighed.

Sheriff watched the disappearing Hudson until he could see him no longer. Doc had been a good friend to all of them over the years; he'd helped them resolve problems, and mended physical and emotional injuries. He cared deeply about almost everyone, and had his reasons for not caring quite so much about others. But Doc, like everyone, needed time to himself sometimes. Sheriff knew he had been busy with Sarge and Ramone lately, as well as caring for his daughter and helping Lightning with his racing. He needed time away from them, something Sheriff knew a lot about.

Ramone looked out the window at the calm, blue water and pale sand that glistened in the morning sunlight. He loved looking at the beach, and longed to spend some time there with his friends; instead he'd been going to some hotel every day to meet with cars that Ranger said were his friends. Sometimes she stayed, other times she left him with them while she went elsewhere for a few hours.

Ranger had told him just last night she would be leaving him with the cars at the hotel for a few days, as she needed to go out of town. She didn't say where she was going, or how long she was going for though.

"Ramone?"

He turned to face the Jeep in army colours.

"Are you ready to go?"

He nodded slowly and followed her into the street, feeling his apprehension growing, just like it did every day.

When they reached the hotel, the police car and Chrysler greeted them. Ramone wondered where the Hudson Hornet was that was always there to meet them. He looked around the car park, thinking maybe he was running a little late, or perhaps he'd gone somewhere, lost track of time, and would be arriving in a few minutes.

"Where's Doc?" Ranger voiced the question he couldn't.

"He had to go away for a few days." The Chrysler supplied the answer.

"Are you sure it's OK for me to leave Ramone with you?"

"It's fine. You go with Fillmore and Mack, they could use the extra help." The time the police car spoke.

"Thanks, Sheriff." Ranger shot a grateful smile in his direction and vanished in the direction of the hospital.

"I hope you don't mind sharing a room, Ramone." The Chrysler looked at him. "There's space in Flo's room for you."

Ramone nodded. He was used to the attention, but he still got annoyed when he wasn't able to respond.

"Come on, son, we'll show you to the room."

He hesitated slightly before following the two cars in to the building. They had always been in a private room before, hidden away on the ground floor of the hotel. He looked around with interest at the décor and cars they passed on the way to where he would sleep. He watched two cars conversing in Italian in the lounge as they drove through; he felt he should know them, but he remembered nothing about them.

Further along the corridor, one of the bedroom doors stood open. A bright red sports car and a rusty tow truck were doing their best to entertain a small, silver car who was looking quite unhappy, despite her friends' best efforts. He remembered being introduced to the three before, but the didn't see him as he followed the police car and Chrysler.

"Here you go." The Mercury's voice brought him back to his current surroundings.

Ramone looked into the room cautiously, checking to see if Flo was in there before he went in. It was in a similar layout to the other room he'd looked in to, and was of a similar size too. A mirror hung on the far wall near a window, showing him and his two companions.

"We'll leave you to get settled. If you need us, we'll be in the lounge."

The two cars disappeared down the hallway, leaving him to enter the room alone. He drove slowly in case his roommate was in there, and he hadn't seen her the first time. He was yet to meet Flo. He wondered what she was like, and whether or not they'd get on.

He rolled over to the mirror and stopped, looking at his reflection in more detail. There was a nasty dent in his side, not that he noticed it. It wasn't big, but it looked like it might have hurt him at first. He stared at himself for a few minutes before closing his eyes.

_The wind howled around him, driving rain and hail into his face. It stung his eyes, making it hard for him to see where he was going. A large tree loomed out of the gloom nearby, but it offered no shelter; its thin, spindly branches were bare and cracked. He suddenly became aware of a loud, roaring, rushing noise. He turned slowly, mesmerised by the large swirling funnel that was rapidly getting closer to him._

"Oh. Excuse me."

Ramone opened his eyes slowly. A pretty turquoise car was watching him from the doorway.

"I didn't know you were here yet."

He turned to face her. _Is this Flo? _He thought, wishing his voice would work.

"I'm Flo." She supplied him with a name. "I guess you're Ramone?"

He nodded. _I should know her. I do know her, I've met her before…but where?_

* * *

**Author's Note:** The original story had Raine (DoubleEdgeSword72's OC) seeing what happened to Ramone in a vision. I put it in here, with Ramone envisioning it as a hint of things to come.

There should be another update either sometime in the next couple of days, or at the weekend depending on how much of Holding On gets written. I'm going to see Up tonight with my dad, so I know I won't be writing much, if any before tomorrow.


	30. Chapter 29

**Author's Note:** There's only five more chapters after this one! No!!! Not to worry though, there is another story to follow. I'm working on chapter 3 at the moment, so it shouldn't be too long before I get the first couple of chapters online. In fact, I plan to have it written and up in the next couple of weeks.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars or Ranger. Ranger belongs to Buick Regal Racecar 56. I do own Michelle Hudson and Skye Armstrong._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 29**

Doc sat facing the dull, grey stone. A cold wind blew around the graveyard, but he hardly noticed as he laid the pale roses at the base of the stone. He looked up at the name and sighed quietly. This was the reason why he'd left the hotel in the city and headed out into the suburbs. His feelings of helplessness had brought back difficult memories that he had to deal with before he could hope to help his friends.

"If only you'd told me." He whispered. "I might have been able to get you help, just one last time. I should have tried harder to accept you."

The wind rustled the dry leaves on the cracked branches around him. His raised his eyes to them, desperately trying to keep a hold on his emotions.

"Why did I push you away? Sometimes I see you in Skye, caring, loving … lonely. I'll never push her away. I love her as I should have loved you." Tears gathered in his eyes, but still he held onto them. "I know I caused you pain, and I'm sorry for that. I've regretted every day. I did love you, mother, I know I never showed it, but deep down I felt it. I loved you to the very end. I was secretly glad that you followed me around." He took a deep breath as a single tear dropped onto the petal of a pale yellow flower.

* * *

"Are you sure this is going to help Sarge?" Mack looked on as Ranger and Fillmore loaded the stereo system into the trailer.

"Not really, but we have to try _something_." Ranger picked up the tapes and placed then in a small box. "I've seen similar things before where something familiar triggered a reaction." She looked at Fillmore as she spoke. "I just hope it works."

* * *

Sheriff watched Skye from the corner of his eye. She'd been sitting alone in the far corner for the last three days, ever since Doc had left them for a few days. Nearby Ramone was sitting with Flo, Lightning and Mater. Sheriff had seen the Impala glancing at Skye from time to time. As he watched, he saw Ramone slowly approach her.

Skye looked up at Ramone when he stopped in front of her. He'd gained her a little confidence over the last few days, though he still hadn't spoken.

"Hi." She said in a flat voice.

Ramone smiled at her sympathetically, wishing he could reassure her. She'd been very understanding towards her recently; it made him wonder if she knew something. If she did, she'd chosen not to tell him yet. He nudged her tyre and indicated at the window, trying to ask her if she wanted to go outside for a somewhat one-sided conversation. She seemed to understand, for she nodded and accompanied him into the car park.

"I guess it's annoying, wanting to ask questions and not being able to." Skye said.

He nodded. _Yeah, very annoying._

"Dad doesn't know how long it's likely to last." She said apologetically. "I miss him so much. I spent a couple of years in the city, when I came back I realised just how much I missed the town and my dad. I keep praying every night he'll come back."

_He will._ Ramone wanted to say. _He loves you. He'll be back. _He moved forwards, attempting to comfort her.

After a few minutes Skye pulled back, and with a quick 'thanks for the chat', she headed back into the building. Ramone watched her go back inside but didn't follow. He chose to stay in the sunshine with his back to the building.

* * *

_Evening was falling. A strong wind blew around the buildings. There was a large group of cars fathered at Flo's V8 Café. Ramone drove over to join them and settled in a free space, where a pretty show car handed a drink to him. Just across from him a red sports car and light blue Porsche sat together. They seemed to know each other very well. Just then a blue Hudson Hornet appeared._

_Ramone saw the Hornet glance at the sky, then at the water droplets that had landed on his hood._

"_I'm gonna head back, I could do with an early night." The voice of the red car drifted across to him._

"_Goodnight, Stickers." The Porsche kissed him gently, getting g a 'goodnight, Sally' and a return kiss._

_The sports car turned towards the street, calling 'goodnight, everyone' as he did so. A chorus of 'goodnight's followed him out of the café. As he left, a black and white car appeared and parked beside the Hornet, giving Ramone a brief glance of the police badge on his side. He watched as this car too glanced at the sky uncomfortably._

"_What's wrong, Sheriff?" A light purple car asked._

"_Just make sure you're ready to leave at short notice, though hopefully it won't come to that." The police car sounded edgy about something._

"_What's going on? Why would we have to leave?"_

_Ramone caught the nervousness in the Porches' voice._

"_Don't worry, Sally." The Hornet answered. "It's nothing serious at the moment."_

"_At the moment?"_

"_It's just the weather. We're being told to keep an eye on it for a few days."_

_The Porsche watched the two older cars cautiously. A flash of forked lightning lit up the sky, followed by a deep rumble of thunder. Ramone saw the Hornet catch Sheriff's eye and cleared his throat._

"_I think I'm gonna head off to bed myself. Goodnight everyone." The Porsche said._

"_Goodnight, dear." Lynda Weathers smiled at her daughter. "Sleep well."_

"Ramone?" A soft voice brought him back to the present. "Are you OK?"

He looked at the show car that had appeared beside him. She matched the one he'd just seen in his memory perfectly. He nodded slowly, finally remembering where he'd met her before…if only he could tell her, let her know he knew her…

The frustration must have shown on his face, for she came closer and tried to comfort him.

"Hey, you'll remember one day, just give it time."

He pulled back and turned away. He could remember some things, he just couldn't _tell_ them he remembered.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yay, good news for Ramone!

There'll be another two chapters this time around, then the remainder when I next update, which might well be in the next couple of days, depending on how much of Holding On gets written. I plan to do another sprint-write tonight.

As always, many thanks to LightningAndDoc for reviewing!


	31. Chapter 30

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars or Ranger. I do however own Skye Armstrong. Ranger belongs to Buick Regal Racecar 56._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 30**

Within four days of leaving, Ranger and Fillmore were back. Ranger wasn't at all surprised that Doc wasn't there, but Fillmore didn't know the Hornet had left. He seemed a little uncertain as they headed for the hospital with the things they had fetched from Radiator Springs.

"He'll be back soon, Fillmore." Ranger reassured him. "He always comes back." _But perhaps he won't this time. He looked like he's been suffering for a while._

The VW said nothing. She glanced at him, but gave no more comments on the situation.

When they reached the hospital it was quiet. Ranger had put her idea to one of the doctors before they had left, and the team caring for Sarge had agreed to let her try it, though they had warned her it might not work. With Fillmore's help she set the stereo system up, loaded the two tapes and checked it would work properly, so when she returned in the morning it would play as Sarge remembered it.

* * *

Ramone stared at himself in the mirror. He'd felt more comfortable around his friends last night, now he knew they were his friends. Flo had seemed a little distant, but he couldn't blame her after he'd pushed her away in his frustration.

He'd been trying all morning to get his voice working, with no success. So far the lack of progress made him so frustrated he threw the waste paper basket across the room – it hadn't made him feel any better. He turned his back on the mirror, closed his eyes, and opened his mouth, but still no sound came out. He kept the mirror behind him as he opened his eyes again; he didn't want to see his frustration, it was bad enough that he was feeling it.

"Are you going to join us, Ramone?" Flo appeared in the doorway.

He turned his back on her as well, not wanting her to see him when he was so annoyed, hoping she would get the message and leave him be.

"You should go easy on yourself, you'll get your memory back."

_It's not my memory that's annoying me!_ Oh how he longed to shout, just once, let them know why he was so annoyed. He seized the clock o the small table nearby.

"Ramone!" Flo sounded scared. "Calm down!"

He ignored her, keeping his back to her.

"Please, Ramone! This isn't the answer."

"Then what …" His voice cracked from lack of use, causing him to drop the clock in surprise. It landed on the carpet with a dull thud and rolled under the cabinet.

He caught sight of Flo in the mirror was now at his side. She was looking at him in amazement.

"Did you just speak?" She sounded amazed too.

His anger and annoyance faded just as quickly as it had come.

"I …" _Ouch. Damn that hurt._

"I think you need a drink."

He turned to face her again, the smile on her face seemed almost like someone had turned a light on. He felt a smile creeping onto his own face.

"I remember." He whispered, finally able to tell her.

* * *

Lightning drove along the corridor slowly. He'd been quite worried about Skye since Doc's departure – she was practically silent, and he hadn't seen her since she and Ramone went outside to talk. When he voiced his concerns to Sally, she recommended he talk to her, saying perhaps she felt lonely and scared. He knew what she meant; he felt the same way when his father was forced to leave for England at very short notice. Strains of Mary Chapin Carpenter drifted out into the corridor through the firmly closed door. He knocked just loud enough to be heard over what seemed to be 10,000 Miles.

"Skye?"

The music stopped, and Lightning heard a click as the door was unlocked. He pushed it open slowly, not sure what he was going to see. Skye had her back to the door, but Lightning could tell with one glance she was unhappy.

"Want to talk?" He asked cautiously, not wanting to experience the temper Sally had mentioned. He had never seen her angry, and planned to keep it that way.

She didn't answer him and kept her back to him.

"Talking it over can help sometimes, Skye." He backed out and shut the door.

Skye glanced in the mirror at the door; she was alone again. She went back to the stereo on the table and set her CD playing again. Before long the tears were flowing freely down her face once more.

* * *

Doc drove along the Interstate slowly. It was quiet at this time of day, quieter than it normally was at least. He'd managed to avoid speaking to anyone while he was gone, and while he felt calmer and more able to deal with the problems that awaited him, he also knew his daughter would be upset with him for going with so little warning.

He was eager to see how Ranger and Fillmore were getting on with helping Sarge, and whether or not Ranger's idea was working. Then there was Ramone. He had no idea what his friends had been doing with Ramone, or what they were planning for the Impala.

He pulled off the Interstate near the city centre and made his way to the hospital. He'd been so busy with Ramone and Skye for the last couple of weeks that he hadn't had a chance to see Sarge. He headed for the lift up to the floor where Sarge's room was, meeting a brightly painted VW part way.

* * *

Ranger sat in the small room with Sarge. She'd played the Reveille at seven on the dot, and halfway through set Star Spangled Banner playing. She'd watched Sarge carefully throughout, but so far there was no reaction from the unconscious Jeep … not that she expected one first time around. Fillmore had appeared just as the music ended, but she wasn't sure where he'd got to now.

She looked around curiously as the door creaked, smiling at the Hudson Hornet that joined her by Sarge's side.

"How is he?"

"About the same."

"Have you tried the music?"

"I did, this morning. I think we'll have to keep trying for a while." Ranger paused for a moment, turning back to face Sarge. "Fillmore seemed kind of disappointed.

Doc nodded. "I spoke to him on my way up here."

* * *

**Author's Note:** There's a link to the song Skye is listening to on my profile. It's a beautiful song, so beautiful that it's made my cry when I've been depressed.

Next chapter coming up shortly.


	32. Chapter 31

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. I do however own Jason Brooke and Skye Armstrong._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 31**

"Welcome back, Doc." Jason spotted a familiar face in the dining room as the Radiator Springs cars arrived for dinner. "Did you manage to do what you went away for?"

"I think so. How have things been here?"

Jason caught Sheriff's eye as the police car joined the pair.

"What?" Doc looked from one to the other. "What's going on?"

"Skye …" Sheriff said.

"What about her?" Doc demanded, suddenly scared.

"She's been hiding a lot since you left. Lightning went to talk to her yesterday, and …"

"What happened?"

"Well, nothing. She completely ignored him." Jason answered. "Didn't tell him to leave her alone or anything."

"I'd better go and talk to her."

Doc drove towards the private room slowly, thinking over what could be wrong with his daughter. He knew she'd felt abandoned when she ended up stuck in Radiator Springs just after arriving in the town, and that combined with her feelings of insecurity were probably what was getting to her now. Perhaps she was still scared he didn't want her.

Upon reaching her room he knocked softly on the door.

"Skye, sweetheart?" He called, hoping she would recognise his voice.

The door opened a crack; he pushed it open further, looking around for his daughter. He found her in the corner of the room, just as he had done the first night she'd had the nightmare about her mother. What was unusual though was that she had her back to him.

"Skye?"

"You promised me you wouldn't leave me." There was something accusatory in her voice. "You promised you weren't going anywhere."

Doc realised she was remembering something he'd said a few years ago, when she'd been very sick after an accident.

_Skye woke slowly to a dimly lit room. Two cars were conversing quietly nearby; she vaguely recognised their voices, one more than the other._

"_Daddy?"_

_The voices ceased, and one of the vehicles moved into her line of sight._

"_I'm here, sweetheart." Doc reassured her._

"_He's hardly left your side. I had a hard time persuading him to get some sleep." A green sports car appeared beside Doc._

"_Good. I don't want him to leave."_

"_I'm not going anywhere, Skye, I promise."_

A rough cough from her made him hurry to her side, gently letting his tyre rest against her smaller one, part of him afraid she would pull away.

"Oh, Skye. I'm sorry."

"Why did you go, daddy?"

"I don't think I can tell you just yet, Skye."

"But you will tell me?"

"I will, when I'm ready."

Skye turned slowly to face her father. There was a mix of emotions emanating from him. He looked concerned, but in his eyes was pain … and anger.

"Daddy?" She prompted.

"I didn't want to leave you, Skye. I know how you get when you're upset, but I just had to get some time alone." He spoke softly, not expecting her to understand completely, but hoping she would at least understand some of what he meant.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"If you go away again … will you take me with you?"

Doc hesitated, not wanting to upset his daughter further.

"That depends on why I'm going away, but I will try to give you more of a warning in the future." He looked at her with caring eyes. "Why don't we go and get some dinner?"

"I … I'd rather not join the others tonight."

"Well, we could always find a little café? What do you say? Just the two of us."

"We can go the beach and watch the sunset?"

"Of course, sweetheart, if that's what you want."

Skye smiled fondly at her father. "I'd like that."

* * *

The waves lapped the sand gently, reflecting the pinkish sky above as the sun crept towards the horizon. A young family were playing with an Indian Sand-Fort nearby, and a young Daewoo was investigating a deep hole someone had dug in the sand. Doc smiled as his daughter looked at the hole curiously.

A group of three clambered on the rocks to one side of the beach, trying to get the best vantage point for the sunset caught his attention. He watched them for a while, before a gentle nudge on his side brought his eyes back to his daughter. They turned and sat side by side as the sun sank lower in the sky. The family soon disappeared, leaving them as the only two on the beach.

Doc heard Skye sigh contently as she leaned against him gently. He normally found twilight made him a little sad, but not today. Today he was happy to be sharing the time with his daughter. Today, it was relaxing.

"Thank you, daddy." She whispered as the sun disappeared below the horizon, leaving them in a pink glow.

"I'd do anything for you, Skye." He replied gently.

They stayed at the beach until the sea had washed the remains of the Indian Sand-Fort away. As the last feather drifted out to sea, Doc turned to Skye. Her hazel eyes glittered in the dim light, bright and intelligent. He was always amazed at how beautiful her eyes were, and how expressive they could be. He sighed, knowing she would want to stay for longer. She loved watching the sun setting.

"We should be getting back, sweetheart, the others might be wondering where we've gone."

Skye looked at him slowly. "I guess."

She looked back out at the dying light for a moment for before following her father back to the road and to the motel.

* * *

By the time they got back to the motel it was properly dark, and the street lamps shone down upon the roads. Skye looked back at the moon as they reached the entrance to the motel, her eyes reflected the gentle light from it.

"Thank you for tonight, daddy." She smiled at Doc.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, sweetheart. Why don't you go on ahead? There's someone I have to speak to, but I'll be up in a few minutes."

* * *

Sally rolled the ball across the room for her young son to chase after and went to see who was knocking on the door.

"Doc, this is a nice surprise. When did you get back?"

"A few hours ago. I've been spending some time with Skye."

"How is she now you're back?"

"She seems a little happier." Doc replied. "Compared to when I first saw her. Is Lightning around?"

"He went to speak to dad about half an hour ago."

"I'll catch up with him in the morning then." He spotted a tiny silvery-purple figure hiding behind Sally with a brightly coloured ball by his wheel. "I think Hugh wants you."

Sally turned, the small sports car looked up at her with bright green eyes. "I swear he's going to take after Lightning. He's so full of energy." She tossed the ball across the room again, watching Hugh bounding after it.

* * *

**Author's Note:** The sunset Doc and Skye watch is actually based on a memory of mine. I was on holiday in north Wales a few years ago with my mum and brother (we're the group of three climbing on the rocks in this chapter), and we went to a beach a short bus ride from where we were staying to watch the sunset. It's the first time I have a memory of such an event (I was 12), and it was so beautiful. The indian sand-fort was there as well, I have some photos from that day, though only one is in digital format.


	33. Chapter 32

**Author's Note:** I've got up to chapter 7 of Holding On (the next story after this one), so I'm giving you the last three chapters of this story.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars or Ranger. Ranger belongs to Buick Regal Racecar 56. I only own Jason Brooke, Skye Armstrong and Samuel McQueen in this chapter._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 32**

Doc automatically glanced around the dinning room as he entered the following morning. He quickly noticed a car missing from the large group.

"Where's Sheriff?" He asked as he joined Jason and Skye.

"He went to make a call." Jason said. "Something about a race I think."

"Hey, Doc, Sally said you were looking for me last night." Lightning appeared at Doc's side.

"Yeah, I was wondering how you're training is going…I've not been around much to see it."

"It's going ok. Actually, it's the first race of the season in a couple of days."

* * *

The day of the first race arrived. The Radiator Springs team had gathered in the car park at the motel before they headed off to the track. Just before they set off an army Jeep appeared.

"I've come to lend a hand." She said, looking at Doc.

"Welcome to the team. Fillmore's not coming?"

"He's chosen to say with Sarge. He said he'd watch the race on television."

"Ok, I'll fill you in on the way to the track." Doc replied as Mack arrived with the trailer.

* * *

Lightning paced back and forth in the pits as he waited for the race to begin He was unusually nervous, perhaps because he had a family that was expecting him to return. He didn't want to leave Sally to raise their son alone. Doc and Skye had gone to talk to the race officials, making sure Lightning was properly registered to race. Ranger, Guido, Luigi and Flo were checking they had the necessary equipment for the race.

"Hello, son."

Lightning turned, expecting to see Sheriff. Instead he came face to face with a red sports car, very similar to himself.

"Dad! I thought you were still in England?"

"I decided to come out here to support you for a change."

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I wanted to surprise you."

"Is mum here too?" Lightning looked hopeful.

"No, she stayed in England, but she told me to tell you she'll be watching and supporting you all the way."

* * *

_"McQueen passes Junior to take third place."_

Fillmore sat in the quiet hospital room with Sarge watching the race on the TV.

_"He really seems to have recovered after that crash last season. There's no sign of any lasting injuries. Whoever did the repairs did a great job of it."_

"That'll be Doc, and the hospital guys." The hippy muttered. "He'd be doing so much better if he had my Organic Fuel."

_"Chick goes into the pits, leaving McQueen with a chance to take first place."_

"He should all ready be there."

With his back to the room Fillmore never saw the chestnut brown eyes watching him.

* * *

"Hey." Ranger entered the room quietly.

"You did pretty good back there." Fillmore indicated the TV set. "I was watchin' ya."

"Thanks. I didn't really know what I was doing. I was just following Doc and Strip." She looked at Sarge. "Any change?"

"Don't think so."

"Have the doctors been by today?"

"Early this morning."

"What did they say?"

"No change."

Fillmore turned to look out the window. The sun was just beginning to go down. It wouldn't be long before it was dark.

"Look, why don't you go back to the motel tonight? I'll stay here with Sarge."

"I'm fine staying here."

"You need to take a break, Fillmore. You're becoming a stranger to your friends. You shouldn't let that happen. What will one night matter?" Ranger said.

"I can't. He's my best friend."

"Fillmore – "

A soft cough from across the room stopped Ranger. Both cars turned towards the sound. The sight of the army Jeep waking stopped them from arguing.

Sarge blinked in the bright lights. He was still in the same room that he'd been in before, but this time there were two cars with him. One he recognised as his hippy friend, the other triggered a memory from nearly fifty years ago.

"I'm gonna get a doctor…" The Jeep disappeared, leaving Sarge looking at Fillmore.

"Hey, buddy."

Sarge tried to say hello back, but just coughed again. The last thing he remembered was the snow, and Lightning and Sally finding him.

* * *

A single cry rang out into the darkness.

"Fillmore's back!"

Doc hurried to the open window and looked down into the parking lot below. Sure enough a hippy VW had just come into the light from the building. There would be only two reasons why their friend was back – either Sarge was awake…or the Jeep had died.

By the time Doc got down to the entrance, the rest of the town had gathered around the VW. Sheriff made his way to the centre of the group and sat beside Fillmore.

"Come on you lot, leave the guy to get some rest."

Doc praised Sheriff silently. It was exactly what Fillmore looked like he was in need of, that and something to eat. He carefully inched through to sit with his two friends.

The cars moved away, some grumbling slightly, but still glad to see their friend again.

"Thanks, guys." Fillmore said, moving towards the room that was his, and had been standing empty for some time.

"What do you think?" Sheriff asked Doc as soon as Fillmore was out of hearing range.

"There is nothing to suggest bad news, but it's not clearly good either. I think we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what he says."

Skye watching Fillmore drive passed her room through a crack between the slightly open door and the frame. She wasn't sure who had spotted him first and raised the alarm; she didn't recognise the voice. Fillmore wasn't giving anything away in his voice, or his body language. She knew something had happened at the hospital, but she couldn't be certain what it was, and Fillmore wasn't going to reveal it until he got some much needed sleep.

She moved back into the room, stopping by the window and gazing at the bright, full moon outside.

A few minutes later her father entered the room and kissed her hood gently. He still stayed with her, though she was no longer troubled by nightmares.

"Come on, sweetheart, bed time."

For once she didn't protest as her father turned off the overhead light, leaving the small lamp in the corner on. Since the nightmares, she had been very reluctant to sleep in the pitch black; the curtains were thick enough to block out light from outside, and the light in the corridor was turned off by midnight most nights. Skye wriggled into the blanket trying to get comfortable as Doc settled beside her.

"All right, Skye?"

"Just getting comfy. Goodnight, daddy."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I think Skye has come a long way with her relationship with Doc from Per Chance. Major difference now!

Thanks to LightningAndDoc for reviewing. You're an awesome friend too.

The final two chapters will be up shortly.


	34. Chapter 33

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars or Ranger. Ranger belongs to Buick Regal Racecar 56. I do however own Skye Armstrong and Hugh Carrera-McQueen._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 33**

"You're doing great kid, keep pushing through the corners."

It was two long weeks since Sarge had woken. He was still in the hospital in LA, with Fillmore and Ranger by his side. The rest of the townsfolk had returned to Radiator Springs, though Matt had agreed to go back to collect Fillmore and Sarge when the time was right.

Doc, Strip and Lightning were out at Willy's Butte, getting ready for the fourth race of the season, while the rest of the cars set about catering for the travellers on their stretch of the mother road.

"That's it, buddy, little more speed on the approach there." Strip called across as Lightning roared passed the two older racers.

After a few more laps of the dirt track Doc called a stop to the training.

"Ok, kid, time to bring it in. I've gotta get back to the clinic."

Lightning pulled up beside them, panting slightly after the run. The two cars were smiling at him, a gesture that he returned easily.

* * *

"Did any messages come in for me, sweetheart?" Doc rolled into the clinic to find his daughter rummaging through the filing cabinets.

"Not yet. Fillmore hasn't phoned with his daily update from LA either. Ha!" Skye pulled out a sheaf of paper. "Knew it was here somewhere."

"What's that?" Doc's curiosity was peaked.

"Just some old papers. I remembered seeing them last time I was checking something. I thought they might help Ramone."

The Impala was much better than when Ranger had found him. His speech was fine now, though he still couldn't remember much, save for a small about from just before the tornado and being found in LA by Ranger. The whole town had come together to help him get his life back on track, though Flo and Skye seemed to be the best at it. Doc was sure Sarge would have been a great help, but as he wasn't around they had to go on what information they had.

* * *

Lightning looked into the Cozy Cone as he passed, but Sally wasn't there. The next place he tried was the café. Sure enough she was sitting with Strip and Lynda, going over a few wedding details for their as yet uncertified ceremony. Lightning's father had left the day before, heading back to England, but the two weeks they had spent together were wonderful. Lightning had made his father swear to tell his mother about the engagement and wedding, and promised to phone as soon as he and Sally settled on a date.

He watched her for a moment before driving over to join her and kissing her lightly.

"Hey." Sally turned to him as he pulled back. "How did your training go?"

"Pretty well, I think."

"He'll be fine for the next race, honey." Strip confirmed the answer.

"Just make sure he comes back in one piece. I don't want to be left to raise Hugh alone."

"You wouldn't be alone, Sal." Lightning said. "All our friends are here, and I'd always be with you in spirit."

Sally shot him a look of amusement, gratitude and slight exasperation.

"I promise I'll be careful." Lightning quickly added, much to the amusement of Sally's parents.

* * *

When the race came, Ranger and Sarge watched it on TV from LA. Sarge had tried to persuade Fillmore to go and join the team, but it was Ranger that was successful in the end. She assured Fillmore she would sit with Sarge while the VW was at the race.

_"McQueen passes Junior to take second place behind Chick."_

"I should be there." Sarge muttered miserably.

"Take it easy. You'll be ale to join them soon enough." Ranger looked sideways at him.

* * *

Almost two months after waking, Sarge was finally allowed to return home. Doc told the doctors at the hospital he would take good care of the Jeep. He knew Sarge was glad to be out of there. Ranger had told him he longed to be at the track with the racing team.

When they returned to the town, it was to find Lightning and Sally had gathered the townsfolk together for an impromptu 'welcome back' party. Fillmore seemed to be the happiest at Sarge's return, with the possible exception of the Jeep himself. Fillmore had been lonely over the last few months, and Doc was relieved to see him smiling and happy again.

He knew all the residents were thankful when they woke to the sounds of Reveille and Star Spangled Banner ringing across the valley. Doc smiled as he heard the Jeep and Hippy arguing in their friendly manner that first morning. The mornings had been too quiet without Sarge, but now he was back, and the town felt complete once more.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Last chapter coming up next. Noooooo! Not to worry, another story following on from this one will be released shortly.

LightningAndDoc just raised an interesting thing. She asked me how the Cars found out about Sarge as Fillmore didn't tell them in chapter 32. It's a missing scene. Fillmore _does_ tell them in the morning (Sheriff tells the gang they can question him in the morning, but he tells them over breakfast, so they don't need to question him).

Advanced warning: you may need some tissues for the next chapter.


	35. Chapter 34

**Author's Note:** OK, folks, here we go. The last chapter for this story! As I said at the end of the last chapter, there will be another story to pick up where this one leaves off. Fingers crossed it will be released this weekend, with updates almost every day.

Warning: You may need tissues for this chapter.

_Disclaimer: I do not own Cars. I do however own Matt, Hugh Carrera-McQueen and Skye Armstrong._

* * *

**Staying Strong**

**Chapter 34**

Doc shoved the last sheet of paper into the appropriate drawer of the filing cabinet and moved back towards his desk. Somewhere nearby a door banged against a wall. He looked around nervously, but nothing was out of place.

The warnings had come earlier in the day, though a tornado warning had not been issued yet. He knew he didn't need one. The sky was inky black, heavy with the threat of bad weather. Already the wind was picking up.

He hurried along to the V8 café where the rest of his friends were sitting around. Sally, Lightning, Strip and Lynda were, once again, engrossed in wedding planning. Sally taking quick notes to send on to Lightning's mother, who wasn't aware of the unfolding romance in the Arizona Desert.

Fillmore was sitting beside Sarge and the two semi drivers. The trailers were missing – parked at the edge of town on the off chance they would be needed quickly. For once Fillmore and Sarge weren't arguing, merely enjoying each others company. Nearby Skye and Lizzie played with Hugh and his favourite brightly coloured ball.

A strong gust of wind ran through the café as Sheriff pulled up. The look on the police car's face sent Doc into action.

"We need to evacuate." He shouted above the wind.

"Now?" Flo looked at him with fear in her eyes.

"Now." Sheriff conformed.

Strip and Lynda Weathers were the first to move, taking Sally and Hugh with them as they made for the Interstate and safety. The rest of the town hesitated though, as hail began to pound down upon them.

"Get out of here." Doc roared. "Go!"

"Daddy!" Skye tried to get to him, but Sarge held her back.

"Skye, we have to go. It's not safe!" Lightning shouted; the urgency in Doc's voice had got the rest of them moving.

"Go with them, sweetheart." Doc pleaded. "I'll catch up when I'm sure we're all out.

"No, daddy. I'm not leaving you."

"Skye, please trust me. I don't want to see you get hurt again. You have to go now, before it's too late.

Sarge and Red sandwiched Skye between them, herding the Daewoo away from the town, while she desperately struggled against their hold. The two trailers were gone from the edge of the town – Matt and Mack had been with Sally, and her parents when the call to evacuate came.

Flo and Ramone headed the group with Sheriff, leading them on to safety as Lightning brought up the rear, just behind Red, Sarge and Skye, and beside Fillmore.

* * *

They stopped for a short break when they reached a sheltered spot in the valley. Skye was no longer trying to get back to her father; Sarge had somehow persuaded her to carry on, but now she turned back the way they had come, looking for her father.

A tall, thin funnel of swirling cloud, wind and debris tore straight through the centre of the town. A single scream could be heard above the almost deafening roar, a single word that hung in the air and pierced the engines of the vehicles around.

"DADDY!"


End file.
